Seeing Red
by SpeedForce 1229
Summary: She became the savior of the human race at 18. The first and greatest Superhero, protector for her cousin, sister, Daughter of Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers. Six year since she became Supergirl and the demons have only gotten worse. Sequel to Survivors AU origin.
1. Chapter 1

Do not own CW or DC characters

 **Chapter 1 Old Friends and First Loves.**

Kara slipped out of bed, put on her robe and left the man sleeping. She quietly unscrewed the red lightbulb and slipped into the front area of her loft. It still seemed strange, the quiet on most nights, not hearing Alex's heartbeat in their room. At times she still woke up in a panic at the absence of the sound she had become attuned to after eleven years of sharing a room, first in Midvale and then here.

Alex was living her life. It had taken Kara months to convince her to move in with Cameron Chase. She listened to every argument against work place relationships, taking their on again off again relationship to the next level, etc. What it came down to was after all this time, since first finding her and Clark from that rocky hole in the ground, Alex was still not convinced Kara could take care of herself.

Her concern was legitimate. Despite being the greatest hero and champion of the world to millions and the Anti Christ and devil to some, depending on who was asked, Kara's demons had not gone away. She had not had any suicidal thoughts in a couple years and only one real attempt two years before. Unfortunately, that attempt was nearly successful leading her adopted parents to place her under protection in the med bay at the DEO for weeks on suicide watch while her therapist Jessica spoke to her for hours everyday. Eliza and Jeremiah finally gave in and tried anti depressants they had designed for her. They had made her immune to Kryptonite when she was 18 and hoped they could finally relieve her crippling depression. Nothing worked, but the misplaced guilt over the tragedy that drove her to the suicide attempt did least Kara convinced them that it had. She was eventually released on the condition she moved in with her adopted parents and Clark for three months and refrained from flying off and saving anyone or fighting any villains.

Kara knew she was screwed up and probably always had been. Her problems, her demons had not gone away when she killed Astra and Non, just taken different forms. The blonde opened a cabinet and pulled out the Thanagarian Whiskey she kept in the very back, when she wasn't hiding it from inspections by her loved ones. Pouring a very large glass, Kara walked to the large window of her loft and gazed at the National City downtown area, the skyscrapers, the monuments, the hotels. Being 2 AM, the city was quiet.

Kara protected this city.

She also protected Metropolis, nearly the entire United States, many European countries, wherever she was needed. She no longer became involved in every crime that she heard in the city. If police arrived she stayed away unless it appeared to need her intervention and only then when she was invited. Of course the police always involved her, knowing what Cat Grant would do to them in print if they refused her offer of assistance and the worst happened because she wasn't allowed to help. Only metahumans, aliens, natural disasters or lives being threatened in fires or car accidents brought her for certain.

Unfortunately the Fort Rozz escapees she had not captured or killed, occasionally showed up on the East or West Coast, finally working up courage over the years to take a shot at the champion of Earth. Some she captured and handed over to the DEO. Most of them, she took to the desert and beat to death. The Kryptonian never used her heat vision in her battles in the middle of nowhere. Every fool who challenged her was an opportunity to release the rage she still kept in her heart. Kara knew many styles of fighting as Astra and Non had learned and did not need heat vision to kill.

Taking a long drink from her tall glass, she relaxed a bit as the liquid warmed her inside. It helped on nights she could not sleep or nights when she did not want to sleep, like tonight. Kara did not enjoy sleeping with him in her bed. She either had to deal with the red sunlight tint or turn it off and risk breaking her long time partner if she had a nightmare and woke up swinging.

Partner.

That was what he was, all he had ever been. He showed up and she used him then sent him away. Living on the other side of the country, she had hoped he would lose interest, become tired of her constant reminding that what they had would never come to anything. Of course he never did. Eventually Kara would have to tell him to stay away and find some other guy to stave off the loneliness but she couldn't seem to quit him yet. She liked him, always had. He was her first and only so far, after all. He and Bruce had fought by her and Alex's side in the battle of the Myriad base, had been her partner in many investigations and battles against humans she could not let loose on. Though her and Bruce worked together much more and much better, than she did with him, unlike Alex and Bruce he never preached restraint. He never preached anything.

Taking another drink she laughed quietly when Streaky jumped on her, clawing her cotton robe and scaling up to her shoulder where she loved to stay. Something about Kara's hair had always been an addiction to the alley cat that had found her and refused to go away.

"Can't sleep either? I know you don't like him but he is a good guy. Don't worry, he will be gone in the morning and it will be the two of us again, I promise. Then you can reclaim your sleep spot."

The two continued to stare out the window, Kara continuing to drink and Streaky purring until the cat hissed and jumped off her shoulder. With a red sun light, Kara would not have heard him but without it, no one could sneak up on her, no matter how quiet. A heart beat could only be quieted one way, one the blonde was very familiar with.

An arm slipped around her from behind and a chest pressed to her back.

"Do you think that cat is ever going to like me?" Dick Grayson, AKA Nightwing, asked the blonde.

"Maybe she is trying to tell you something." Kara told him. "Why did you come tonight, Grayson?"

"Last name? I haven't spent enough time here to make you angry. I think you know why I came tonight. I missed you."

"You missed me? How in the hell can you miss me? I treat you horribly. What does it take to get you to move on? I would imagine you can have your pick of women. There has to be one or two attractive females in Bludhaven, even if it is worse than the Narrows."

"I don't want other women."

"And I don't want you. I don't want anybody." Kara told him, not for the first time or even the hundredth.

"And yet you still let me in. Have you ever considered that I am the only guy who can actually understand you? Maybe if you weren't so scared to admit feelings you…"

"You don't understand me. If you did, I would worry for your sanity."

"I spent my teen years with Bruce Wayne. My sanity left me long ago." he countered.

"No, it didn't. You have held on to your heart, to your mind. Despite what has happened to you, Dick Grayson, you are a good person. You aren't like me or Bruce and that is a good thing. Don't loose it. If I let you into my life, really let you in, it would destroy you. There isn't happiness to be found here. Not with me."

"Maybe not, but you are here. Thats good enough for me."

Kara shook her head and took another drink, this time draining the glass.

"I'm done. If you come back, I'm not letting you back in. Stay in Bludhaven."

"You say that every time and yet here we are."

"I'm serious this time, Dick" Kara practically yelled. "I can't keep doing this too you. I don't love you. This isn't me playing hard to get or being afraid to express my emotions. It is the way it is. I'm not sure if I will ever be able to or want to love a man. Please don't make me hurt you anymore."

Dick's argument was cut off by Darth Vader's theme music playing in the background. He knew that ringtone was reserved for only one man.

"Its 2 AM, you don't have to answer him every time he calls, you know? He can take care of himself. He likes to remind everyone of that."

Kara ignored him and answered.

"Whats wrong, Bruce?"

Kara knew he never called her this late unless something was wrong. A bomb that the so called Joker had planted, that he needed her vision and hearing to find, a homicidal monster pumped up on steroids named Bane who constantly escaped. Perhaps she would get to kill him this time without her friend preaching about justice. Kara knew justice. She didn't need the Batman giving her lessons on his version which involved branding and causing brain damage due to slamming bad guys heads into cement blocks.

"I figured out what that sharp energy spike in Central City was. I think my theory about alternate universes is true."

"I'll call you back in the air." Kara told him immediately.

One week ago a sharp spike in power, one not seen since a black hole opened up over Central City a year before, had occurred. Fearing another black hole and not counting on the red speedster to stop it this time, she had Clark, Jeremiah and Eliza sent to the Fortress, ready to leave this planet as soon as she and Alex determined the extent of the damage and could join them. Over the years, Kara had built a rather large ship, expanding her and Clark's orignal pod and had the flgiht plans to several habitable planets that her family could easily thrive on.

Fortunately the power spike picked up by Kelex disappeared without a particle accelerator explosion or black hole opening over S.T.A.R. Labs. Kara had been halfway to Central City with Alex and her jet behind her when Bruce told her the event seemed to have stopped. The blonde was hell bent on raiding S.T.A.R. Labs and finally putting an end to the seemingly endless Armageddon causing experiments they must have constantly conducted.

Bruce talked her out of it, asking for time to investigate before Kara scared the entire world by taking apart a large structure in the middle of a large city.

Now she had an answer, part of an answer at least.

Rushing into the bedroom, she came out in an alternate costume, one of many she never wore during the day, due to the hell Cat Grant raised about her public image and her adopted father raised about people trying to look up the short blue skirt. He wasn't a fan of the blue midriff exposing top either. Her argument that a woman needed options did not sway his mind.

Taking off out the window without a word, she left Dick Grayson standing there in boxers being hissed at by an incredibly annoying cat.

"Just you and me, Streaky. No matter what I do or where I go, Bruce will always have a way of ruining my nights. You know she loves me, right? She will come around. Six years we have been doing this. She tells me to stay away and lets me in when I show up. I'm thinking of moving to National City. Best we become friends, huh? I'm talking to the damn cat. Get it together, Grayson."

He heard the door being opened and turned quickly, not being able to guess who would enter Kara's home so late but imagining it couldn't be good. Moving quickly to the kitchen, he grabbed a butcher knife from the drawer and stood in the dark kitchen corner.

The light flicked on.

"Put whatever homemade weapon or knife you have on you down, Grayson. I saw your bike in the garage. I can't believe you rode cross country."

Dick straightened up, no longer in attack stance as Alex Danvers, DEO agent during the day and the vigilante known as Manhunter to some, and as Supergirl's partner to others, walked in. The two had fought side by side many times while Kara and Bruce were out playing, both in Gotham and National City. They even busted up a few weapons deals in Metropolis every now and then until the gun runners got the message.

"Alex? Kind of late for a visit." he mentioned, eyeing the bag in her hand.

"Yeah, this isn't a visit. I'm moving back in."

Grayson shook his head.

"Kara doesn't need you to watch out for her."

"Oh yeah? I can smell that foul alien alcohol from the hallway and the glass is empty. Besides, I'm not moving back in at 3 AM because I woke up and decided she was going to try and kill herself again, or maybe accidentally drink herself to death. My significant other doesn't think I am significant any longer. Cameron has decided to become the Deputy Director of the DEO's Metropolis office. Apparently she wants to go alone. Feels we need space. She is leaving in the morning and I sure as hell wasn't going to sleep there tonight and say goodbye."

Dick was not surprised. Cameron Chase and Alex Danvers had been an item since Alex was 19 and Chase was 24. The relationship had good times in the beginning from what he understood but Alex preferred to spend her nights riding the town, looking for trouble, conducting research into threats Kelex had found, or taking on metahumans and aliens with Kara.

Chase saw the DEO as a career for her to climb to the top of and Alex saw the DEO and being a vigilante at night as her passion and what she was meant for in life. It would never have worked out in the long term. They both wanted different things and the different things were far apart. The lives they led, all of them, he wondered, not for the first time, if it was worth the sacrifice. Alex and him had zero personal lives and Kara and Bruce had too many demons to count for either to consider being in a relationship. Kara was convinced she was incapable of loving someone romantically and the only action Bruce had gotten in years was from a cat burglar in very tight vinyl.

"Kara just went to meet my competition for her time. Besides you I mean. Bruce called, probably with someone to fight so she is in the air to wherever he is. Its no wonder TMZ is always spreading the rumor that the Gotham City Bat and Supergirl are having an affair. I'll take the couch, you can have the bed."

Alex laughed at that idea. "Absolutely not. Judging by the fact that you are here and half naked, it is obvious what has gone on in that bed tonight. I'll drop my bag in there and take the couch. I'm not in the mood for sleep anyway. You know she already subleased the place? Said she knew I would move back in with Kara. She was right I guess. I wouldn't stay in that apartment another second. We moved in together because she thought it would pull us closer, solve some of our problems. That was a great idea obviously."

Grayson walked into the bedroom and came back out a minute later, dressed in jeans and a white tee shirt. Walking to the fridge he pulled the bottle of human safe Jack Daniels that Kara kept for nights she wore her bracelet and wanted to sober up quickly if someone were coming over. He poured his sometimes crime fighting partner a glass as well as his.

Alex sipped hers, not really in the mood to have a drink. She had too much on her mind and Kara drank enough for both of them.

"I'm done with her this time. If she asks me to go to Metropolis in a few months, I am still done. I told her that tonight. Apparently I am obsessive about everything but her."

"Maybe you should give up the late night crime fighting." Dick suggested. "It isn't like the cops are incompetent in this city."

"Dick, I found a couple orphans in a cave once and have taken care of them ever since. I made that decision and I have never regretted it. I still don't and she still needs help. No matter what she has accomplished in a lot of ways she is still that scared girl in the cave with a baby, in over her head. You are right, the cops can take care of some things but the metas and aliens? Kara does great, unless she is drunk."

"The public has never seen her drunk." he argued.

"Yeah, they have, they just don't realize it. If you ever see her take a punch and fall back, she is drunk. Nothing on this Earth is as strong or as fast as she is. Nobody has as much rage as she does. No one and nothing can beat her in a fight, especially when she is angry. I get it, I have been with her through everything and if you don't think she needs protection from herself you then you are an idiot."

"Kara has been living on her own for four months…"

'And has been drinking every night. She used to cut herself, break her bones, burn herself with her heat vision. She tried to commit suicide when she was 14 and then when she was 22 using a straight razor and one of those damn red lights. If Mom hadn't found her when she did, Kara would have died on the bathroom floor. She used to harm herself to forget for a little while, but then the guilt would come. Now she is using alcohol and you instead of pain. You need to stop sleeping with her, Dick. She is using you and if she hurts you it will be just another thing she will feel guilty about. You don't deserve it either."

"I'm a big boy. I can handle hurt. Trust me, Alex, she tells me all the time to leave her alone. She won't need to feel any guilt, because I am stupid enough to keep coming back. What am I supposed to do? I love her."

Alex passed her still full glass to Grayson who had drained his.

"I don't know, Dick. I really don't. Bruce can keep her from going over the edge tonight. I am going to lay on the couch and try to sleep, for a few hours anyway. Kara can help move my stuff tomorrow night."

Dick smiled, recognizing the look in her eyes.

"I brought my suit. We could go for a ride, maybe by the docks? I am sure there is something that needs our attention. Alfred is up and I am betting Brother Eye is fired up. Want to have a little fun?"

Alex thought about it, then unzipped her bag, pulling out the copper and silver armored suit, expandable compressed light baton that could break concrete and her two favorite guns.

"Hell yes, Nightwing. I really need to hit something or someone tonight. Preferably an evil blonde named Cameron who is bent on world domination."

While the Manhunter and Nightwing prepared to have their version of fun in National City, Kara was flying towards Central City passing Mach 2 and climbing.

"Talk to me Bruce. What have you found out?"

"There was some sort of large machine, a vertical circle and it appears the Flash and this Zoom character were racing. Then there were two Flashes…"

"Two? How in the hell were their two? You told me to stay out of Central City business and let this Flash guy handle it. Now there are two of them? Could it be a time remnant? Tell me this guy can't time travel, Bruce."

"It is possible he recruited a Flash from an alternate dimension or if time travel is a technique he has learned, it very well could have been a time remnant. The second Flash continued to run and burned up from the speed but did destroy the machine. The other Flash, the one I believe is the actual Flash, took Zoom on in combat and readings Brother Eye were picking up were unheard of. I do believe that tachyons were being used and the machine was a possible merger of universes. It appears to have belonged to this Zoom. From what I could see after the Flash defeated him, Zoom was torn…"

"The Flash defeated Zoom? Because the last time I saw Zoom on television he was carrying the Flash through the streets. I go to the other side of the world to help with recovery efforts from the Tsunami and a hoard of metas attacked Central City. I should have dealt with this when I got back. Why the hell did you insist I stay out of Central City business, again? I could have taken this Zoom guy's head off in seconds. A dose of freeze breath at absolute zero and a strike to shatter his skull and it would have been over."

"The Flash has been getting better and Central City is still safe. He dealt with the metas. Now I am wondering if they were from sort of alternate universe. If you had gotten involved he never would have felt confident. You can't police the world, Kara, no matter how hard you try. He is doing well and the city is safe."

"You think Central City is safe? I had my family minutes away from being rocketed to another solar system to avoid a black hole over S.T.A.R. labs. First Harrison Wells and the particle accelerator explosion, then the anomaly over S.T.A.R. and now some machine that almost merged theoretical alternate universes. I want answers. I'm not staying out of it any longer."

"We are there to investigate and talk. Stay calm."

"I am as calm as the situation calls for." Kara told him.

"There is something else you should know. I hesitate to tell you this but it is important that you do not lose control if you see him. Brother Eye has picked up something else. I have had it searching Central City going back as far as six months to try and pinpoint this Zoom character's identity. Kara…Harrison Wells is not dead. He has been working out of S.T.A.R."

Kara's anger intensified. Since she was 18, she had stayed out of Barry Allen's life for his own protection. After hearing Lex Luthor threaten his life to manipulate Kara, she realized any sort of relationship they could have had, never could have happened. She had cut off contact and purposely avoided visiting Central City.

But she did read the news.

First, Barry had been struck by lighting caused by a dark matter cloud from the particle accelerator explosion then two years later, Harrison Wells, the same Harrison Wells who had supposedly been sucked into a black hole admitted on video to killing Barry's mother. Kara wanted to kill him.

But he was already dead.

And now he wasn't.

"He is a dead man legally. I plan to make it a reality. By the time you arrive, I will already have taken care of it. I may even fly him to the moon. I haven't made a trip there in a while. Go back to Gotham."

"I'm actually five minutes from S.T.A.R. I started before I called you. You cannot kill, Kara. The world watches everything you do. This is a very public place in a large city."

"Then why the hell did you call me at all?!" Kara shouted.

"I believe I have a way of stopping the Flash if I need to, in the event he is working with or protecting Wells. If it doesn't work, I may need you…"

"To treat him like Zoom treated him?" Kara guessed. "You don't want me to kill Wells? Fine, I will put him in a coma. That hit man working for Falcone that you took out last week, is in a coma. Remember that? You slammed his head through a concrete wall. Why do you give me crap about killing bad guys while you have no problem putting them in permanent comas?"

"I may have gone too far." the Batman admitted. "He was armed as were his friends. I did not have time to play nice."

"Whatever Bruce. Once again, your methods are fine, mine aren't. You can use a brand but if I burn someone with heat vision its wrong."

"Because you are who you are, Kara!" Bruce told her, again, over and over through the years. "You are who the world looks to for the best. The world does not expect that of me. If I brand someone, I am a criminal, nothing new. My job is to scare criminals to the point that they do not want to be on the streets any longer. You are the symbol this world needs when people feel threatened. Like it or not, you have to be seen in public behaving differently than I do. How many damn times do I have to tell you this?"

"About 422 by my count in the last six years and I still think it is hypocritical. We can argue later while I am improving your toys. I'm three minutes away. Go in and I will stay above. If I see Wells, I am coming inside in a dramatic fashion, superhero landing, one knee, hair flip and the slow motion rise. I may even let the eyes glow so he knows how screwed he is."

Batman took a deep breath, thinking he should probably have taken his chances with the Flash on his own. "The public is not surprised by my tactics. Yours will always be scrutinized. Some of those cults that worship you may find another savior if you are seen blowing up labs with your heat vision. Also keep in mind that we do not know what other experiments are inside and if you hit one with heat vision it could cause a chain reaction..."

"Bruce?' Supergirl interupted. "Shut up and do what you do and I will do what I do. One way or another, I am not staying out of Central City business any longer. I am sick of the end of the world scenarios."

"I stayed out of Star City and your hooded friend dropping more bodies than the men he was after at your request and you stayed out of Central City. That was the deal. The Flash is young, new, but he has saved the city and by extension the world and shows a lot of potential. He could be a valuable ally for us, Kara. He stopped the anomaly, he stopped whatever machine this was. Give S.T.A.R. a chance to explain. If Harrison Wells is alive I will take him in."

"As far as a teammate we do fine on our own." Kara told him one again, a discussion they had multiple times over the years. "If there is something J'onn, Alex and Dick aren't enough to handle I can send a message to Lobo. All you ever talk about is this damn team you want to form. You are starting to give me an inferiority complex. I see the building…and I see you. You go in, but if I hear anything I don't like, I will light that place up."

"Understood." the Batman agreed, figuring this was as much as he would get from her. He knew she didn't stay out of Central City due to his request. A boy, from what he understood, the first boy she ever went on a date with, probably the only, her first kiss…and the guy she gave up after hearing Lex Luthor threaten to kill him to manipulate her into thinking the DEO did it. The closer she was, the more tempted she was to contact him, even after six years.

"And I can't believe you just mentioned calling that psycho for help if we need it. I am certain I would rather let the world end than ask that genocidal monster who is obsessed with you for help."

"Thats too bad. He really likes you." the blonde told him but at least she sounded humored now instead of enraged.

Bruce did not respond to that comment. He couldn't stand Kara's intergalactic bounty hunter friend and she knew it.

"Okay, I am hovering over the roof on the West Side and going in. Have you been drink…"

"Don't go there, Bruce." Kara told him quickly.

"Fine, I will take that as a yes. I'm going to enter through the roof. No one should be there at this time of night. I will check the place out, examine the experiments and…"

"And if you find Harrison Wells sleeping in there or I see him from above it's going to be a race to see which of us can get to him first."

"Stay above cloud cover at daylight and please let me handle it. The Flash is a good guy. We may need him one day. I will call your name if I can't get answers, but you know I always do."

"I'll be here. I need to circle the area and X ray this accelerator pipeline anyway, figure out where I can cave it in to ensure it never works again, accidentally or otherwise."

As the clock turned to 8 AM, Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow walked into S.T.A.R. labs to begin the work day. It had been slow, Cisco working on improvements to weapons Central City PD used against Metas and Caitlin working on minor projects putsourced from Mercury Labs. The lab felt deserted since Harry and Jessie had returned to Earth 2, Wally had returned to school and Barry was still grieving the death of his father. The man had been devastated and defeating Zoom had not helped. Iris had been comforting him as much as possible, but Henry Allen being murdered in front of Barry was something they all knew would scar him for life just as his mother's murder did.

As they walked into the main control area of the lab, the lights cut off.

"Forget to pay the light bill, Caitlin?" Cisco asked nervously. S.T.A.R. had back up power that was instantaneous so no power was ever lost to the meta cells.

"No. fairly certain I paid it. I hope the city hasn't puled our permits again." she muttered, feeling nervous as well. S.T.A.R. under Caitlin and Cisco had improved its reputation, especially in regards to helping the police. Therefore if the power was out, they could be under attack by a meta.

As it turned out, the threat was worse than a meta.

"Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow. We need to talk." a deep voice growled from the corner. The two turned around and could barely make out the figure, but the eyes and mask were enough to know who this was. He had been seen often, even assisted the Gotham City PD though they denied this, and the world at large considered him a hero…of a sort. He fought crime and was tight with Supergirl. HIs relationship with the greatest Superhero in the world was enough to sway public opinion in his favor. The public looked over his brutal methods for the most part.

This did not change the other things Caitlin and Cisco had heard. Supposedly he wasn't human. He was bulletproof, could fly, had an arsenal of heavy weaponry, jets, tanks, machines that could be both. It was said he once cleared out a warehouse of fifteen armed men and walked out without a scratch, leaving them all broken and unconscious with bat symbols branded onto their foreheads. Some said he was an alien like Supergirl or using alien weapons she gave him. Whatever he was, it was agreed by everyone that he was not someone you wanted to find in a dark room waiting on you.

Now he was here. Whatever they had done to garner his attention could not have been good.

"You are … him." Cisco squeaked out.

"I am aware of that. We have some issues to discuss. It would be best to talk to me. I have a friend floating high above listening to everything and if I don't get answers to her questions, then she will ask them herself."

"Supergirl?" Caitlin asked, hoping it was true.

Barry was always hesitant to talk about her. Caitlin had suggested several times that he contact her for help against Zoom but Barry seemed worried. As if he thought Supergirl could be harmed by Zoom. It made no sense to her. But if the girl was here, perhaps they didn't need to deal with the fear this man was generating inside them.

"Yeah, Supergirl." Cisco guessed. "Supergirl help, please? Take your very scary and possibly psychotic friend out of our home." the man finished loudly, wondering not for the first time how far she could actually hear.

"Sit down. You may not believe this, but I am the good cop in this scenario. First question. Where is Harrison Wells? I either take him restrained to the police station or my friend takes him to the morgue in a body bag. I am the best chance he has of surviving. That man hurt an old friend of hers once and I promise you she wants to destroy him. She lacks my restraint."

"Harry? Harry went back to…I mean…Dr. Wells is dead, or was dead, but the Harry we know, see the first Dr. Wells wasn't Dr. Wells. The real Dr. Wells died and another Wells took over but we didn't know, then …this is going to be hard to buy but the Harry who was just here was a Harry from another…Earth. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. If you give me a chance to explain…"

"I know about alternate universes or at least had a theory that they were possible and your event last week proved it to me. I am concerned that over the past few years, S.T.A.R. has a habit of being involved in possible world ending events. "

"I just sent a text to the Flash." Caitlin whispered.

"What I want to know is what happened, why did it happen, how did Zoom and the other metas get here and how do I make sure it never happens again?" Bruce asked calmly. "It has to stop. I can't stop her. One more accident and she will finish what whichever Harrison Wells started and tear this place to the ground. She isn't as subtle as I am."

"We are talking about Supergirl, right? Wears a skirt, bright blonde hair, beautiful, perfect white teeth, always smiling, talking to children in the streets. That Supergirl?" Caitlin hoped.

Batman stared at her for a moment, deciding it was best to not answer that. If he could find answers Caitlin Snow, would never find out how wrong she was about who Supergirl really was.

"I suppose I will wait to speak to the Flash. Before he arrives shortly, I must insist if you know where Harrison Wells is, tell me now. She won't care for explanations about alternate Earths. I am his best chance of surviving."

"The man you think is the Harrison Wells of this Earth is no longer here. He went back to where he came from. I will explain everything if you will just turn the lights back on." Cisco pleaded.

Batman said nothing, standing in place and making no move to turn the lights on. The man had two syringes, one attached to the top of each of his hands. The Flash would stand in front of him, hesistate. It was a weakness with him. He gave his opponenets time to guess his move because he wasn't even sure what his move was. The Flash would not phase a hand into Batman's chest. He would come close and be injected with two very heavy, fast acting sedatives he had developed. Enough to drop him without killing him. With the lights on, the needles could be seen.

Barry had just arrived at work when he got the text from Caitlin. It was simple. Help, under attack from Batman.

He was not sure what that meant exactly, not imagining the Gotham City vigilante having any reason to be in Central City. He left a word with Joe to follow and took off as soon as he was out of sight.

Arriving at S.T.A.R. moments later, he first noted the lights were off and the usually well lit hallways were eerily dark. If he had any doubts that the Batman or someone dressed like Batman was actually here, they were gone. Moving into the dark control room, he stood in front of Cisco and Caitlin, vibrating slightly.

It was true. The man was here. Barry had no idea how to approach this. Some said the man was a hero. Others called him a psychopath. He was obviously tight with Supergirl so Barry always assumed he had to be good but right now he looked more demonic than human. For the first time, the Flash wondered if Batman was an alien like Supergirl.

"Why are you here?" his vibrating voice asked, form a blur and ready for anything. This man was notorious for weapons and traps. If he was in S.T.A.R. when Caitlin and Cisco arrived who knew how long he had been here the night before and what he could have done to the place.

"I am here for Harrison Wells. I am also here to determine how I can assist you in preventing end of the world scenarios before a friend of mine loses her very tenuous grip on her temper and takes matters into her own hands."

"Wells? Wells is…"

"Not dead. At least as of last week. I pulled up footage of your fight with Zoom. I know he was there. Your friend was about to explain the intricacies of the multiverse but perhaps I can hear it from you?"

"Maybe you could have made an appointment instead of breaking in." Barry told him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you out right now."

The Flash secretly hoped he gave him a good reason because this man's appearance was setting off every warning bell in Barry's head.

"Am I a good enough reason?" Supergirl asked, walking inside.

Bruce was relieved to see she hadn't crashed in from the roof. Perhaps she would remain calm.

"Touch him and I tear you limb from limb. You have been protecting a man who hurt a friend of mine twice. One who was nearly killed by the particle accelerator explosion. He is going to get answers or I will and you won't like my methods, Flash."

Perhaps not, Bruce thought.

Barry stopped vibrating, standing perfectly still, laying eyes on her in person for the first time in six years, the night he was her first dance and her first kiss. The one night that made him forget about his belief that Iris would have always been his true love. Even after Eddie died the two had talked about being together but he never could get her out of his head. Kara Danvers, the girl who taught him to love speed. He had even given serious consideration to transferring to NCU to be near her, to give them a legitimate chance. A chance that she ended abruptly two weeks before she became known to the world as Supergirl. He knew she did it to protect him probably, but he never got her out of his mind.

The stop in vibrations gave Kara her first look at the man. She took in his lean frame, not surprised that the Zoom monster had made him seem small on television in comparison. His suit seemed to be an interesting type of fabric, almost turnout gear but slimmed down.

Then her eyes met his and she lost her breath. Reaching unconsciously into her top and pulling out the necklace that had been given to her at Christmas by a boy she knew she could have loved, before her life changed forever. Her thumb rubbed the golden lightning bolt at the end of the chain. She knew those eyes. They were the eyes of the first man she ever kissed.

"Barry?" Kara whispered.

The Flash pulled back his mask.

"Hey Kara. Its been a while, I guess."

No one said a word, Batman's mind racing, remembering that Barry Allen was the name Kara had told him once. The guy she forced herself to stay out of Central City for. The one who had been hit by lightning and his mother murdered by Harrison Wells.

He was the Flash.

Caitlin sat back taking all this in. Barry had known? Kara? He knew her name? All this time, Barry had known who Supergirl really was, something the media and Governments of the world could not discover and he never said a word.

Cisco fought to keep his mouth shut, finding it difficult not to comment on how hot she was in person, how her bare abs were amazing and her legs…only the thought of being burnt to nothing by heat vision kept his mouth closed. He hadn't processed the fact that his best friend was having a conversation with Supergirl, that they knew each other and he missed the longing and desperation in the blonde's eyes as she stared at Barry.

"You still wear the necklace." Barry noticed.

"Every time I put on a skirt and cape." the girl admitted. "Actually, I only take it off for bed. I don't want it to snag in my hair and break." she told him, still in disbelief that he was in front of her.

"You think we could talk somewhere? Alone?"

"Yeah…I think that would be best."

"Follow me." A streak of red followed by a streak of blue left the room, leaving the two scientists alone with the masked vigilante.

"So seriously, can you turn the lights back on?" Cisco asked.

Deciding this turn of events could lead to a prolonged stay, Bruce thought this would be best. Whatever was going on, Harrison Wells was not here.

"Kelex, turn the lights back on."

The lights remained off.

"Kelex?"

"Unless Kara, Alex, Both Dr. Danvers, J'onn Jonzz and Jason Connolly are incapacitated you are not in control of the Fortress. Only Alex has been given override order permission in the event Kara is still ambulatory but has suffered an extreme mental or emotional breakdown."

"I get it!" the man growled, wondering how many years it would be before he moved up the chain of command in regards to her toys. She stole his Lamborghini last month and he hadn't said a word. Now her robot servant wouldn't even turn the power back on.

"I have it, sir." Alfred told him, having listened to the feed as always.

The lights were back on and in the brightly lit room, he tended to stand out.

"They may be a while. Please take me on tour in the light of this place and tell me everything that has gone on since Harrison Wells began building this accelerator."

"Yeah, I can definitely do that. Uh…did you know they were friends? Because we didn't know." Cisco asked.

"I have never looked into the identity of the Flash. I have kept her from getting involved and she stayed out of Central City for her own reasons. Reasons I won't discuss. A tour, please?"

"Right this way." Cailtin offered, walking out quickly, leaving Cisco scrambling behind her.

Despite the unease he still felt, lessened from the fear a moment ago before Barry had arrived, Cisco could not help himself.

"Could I ask you some questions about your suit?"

"No."

Inside the speedster room, the alien and metahuman took each other in. Neither was quite sure where to start, so Kara decided she would make the first move.

"So its you. All those times I saw you hurt, the times I agreed to stay out of Central City, to let you handle things, and it was you. I pushed you away so you could be safe and now…this happened."

Barry shrugged his shoulders.

"I know I could have called you but…I needed to do this on my own. You have been saving the world, helping save thousands all over the place. You had more important…"

"Nothing would have been more important, Barry. Nothing. Are you okay? I know that Zoom broke your…"

Kara could not finish the sentence.

"I healed. It wasn't your fight, it was mine."

"What happened?" she asked, sure she wasn't going to like any of this.

Barry took a deep breath and told her, neither of them moving, standing in one place, only a few feet apart. The more Kara, heard the farther apart from him she felt.

"Your father…Barry, I don't know…I should have been here. I never should…I didn't want to know more about you. It hurt when I looked in on you so I stopped. I thought you were happy, living life, being safe. I…damn it! This wasn't supposed to happen!" Kara shouted. She had given him up so he could be safe, live life the way it was supposed to be lived.

"Why didn't you just call me? You knew how to find me. You knew who I was. I would have been here, done anything. Didn't you know? I could have killed…I could have killed Zoom in seconds. I had a plan in place in the event the Flash could not handle it. It would have been so easy. I should have protected you! I left you, wanted you to be safe and this…Damn it!"

"Kara, it wasn't your fault. I know I could have called you. I didn't want anymore people I cared about being hurt. Bringing you in, I get it, okay? I have seen the aliens and metahumans you have taken on but this guy…he was a demon. He could have killed you. He could have phased a hand…"

"One dose of freeze breath at absolute zero and I shatter his skull. Thats it! I never should have let him talk me out of becoming involved …I wasn't strong enough. I agreed because it was difficult, being in Central City and not finding you. I didn't want to spy on you. I knew you had recovered from the lightning strike and I let it go. Then Wells admitted to killing your mother, I saw the news, realized he must have been a meta. I had no idea about time travel of course. Batman and I talked about the possibilities but didn't think it was feasible. I should have found you after the black hole opened up but I was focused on…damn it! All this hurt you suffered…I should have been there. You weren't safe at all, were you?"

"I was doing what I had to do, what I needed to do. I could have found you. I guess I am one of the few people outside your family that know who you really are, right?"

Kara nodded her head.

"I wear glasses still but they are able to cast an illusion over my hair to darken it and change the color of my eyes. It has worked pretty well. I guess I never got to tell you the glasses I had, I wore to protect me from facial recognition. The ones I wear still do. But yeah, I live in the same place. Still have the same cat. Still ride the same bike."

"I miss that bike. One of my biggest regrets is we didn't have more time. Your face was kind of studied in detail after you made your appearance in that baseball stadium. Anyone who knew you well had to know. I guess Lena knows?"

"No. The reason, one of the reasons I broke off contact with you, Lex always knew who I was. He planted information I believed…it doesn't matter. I overheard him telling my friends you met, that he planned to have you killed and frame them for it so I would no longer trust them. He wanted me to himself, reliant on him. Lena did know who I was after that day in the stadium. I have a friend who can erase memories, plant false ones. I knew I didn't need to deal with Lex. I had too many other enemies to fight, so my friend erased all knowledge and memories of me from Lex and Lena. I haven't seen or spoken to her since."

"She was your only friend." Barry remembered.

"It was for the best. If she knew, she would tell Lex whether he remembered me or not. I couldn't erase his memories and leave hers alone."

"But you didn't have your friend do the same to me." Barry pointed out.

Kara shook her head and looked at the floor. "It was selfish but I knew you wouldn't out me and I couldn't stand the thought of you not remembering me. I couldn't handle that. I knew you would move on but I wanted to live in your memory, even if it was a small part."

"I am glad. I would have hated to lose the memory of that weekend, of our talks, of your voice. You were never a small part. Not a day has passed I haven't thought of you, Kara. I thought maybe if I told you who I was we could…I don't know. Then everything happened and the alternate dimensions and time travel…I didn't want you caught up in the mess."

Neither said anything, Kara kicking herself inside for not being there and Barry wishing he would have asked for her help. He had no problem asking Oliver for help but he never could bring himself to ask her.

Supergirl cleared her throat. "So…I guess I…I mean we should go…oh no."

Kara moved quickly out the door and Barry followed her. They moved into the pipeline and found Joe West on his knees, Alex and Dick suited up and behind him and Batman in front. Alex had the man's gun aimed at him.

"What is going on?! What are you two doing here?" Kara asked, slightly panicked.

" We flew here when Kelex told me where you were heading and who you were after. I wanted to make sure you didn't tear down S.T.A.R. Labs. This man decided to point a gun at Batman,"

"He broke into this lab!" West complained.

"You were party to an illegal metahuman prison for over a year, Detective West. I won't tell on you, if you don't tell on me." Batman suggested.

"Al…Manhun..just put down the gun! Let the man up." Kara nearly shouted.

"Okay." Alex agreed, feeling a bit of humor at the situation. Detective West had no idea how lucky he was that she had arrived. Batman did not react well to guns being aimed at him. Usually someone found themselves put through a wall or bones broken. She was also pleasantly surprised Kara was not beating the Flash.

"You are Nightwing and Manhunter." Cisco whispered, thinking this was either one of the coolest or scariest mornings of his life.

Joe stood up and Alex handed him his gun.

"What do you know about a supposed illegal…" Joe started before Kara interrupted.

"He is Batman, he knows. When he walked around last night he found the cells. I imagine he has video of this place and all the activities for the past year, right Batman?"

"She knows me well. I think it would be best if we just chalk this all up to an unfortunate misunderstanding."

"Yeah, fine." Joe told him, feeling a bit of fear that this man had knowledge of the one big criminal act that their team had been a part of before Iron Heights was able to hold metahumans. "I think you should all leave …you are Supergirl. I haven't seen you in that outfit before."

"If Dad sees her in it…" Alex stopped talking, for the first time noting the Flash did not have his mask on.

"Barry Allen?" the girl whispered.

"Hey Alex. Nice suit."

Alex looked at Kara, searching her face to see what her reaction had been or was right now. This could be good or bad. With Kara it could be either and random.

"Yeah, I will explain everything later. We should go. I guess Kelex has your jet…"

"She has her own jet?!" Cisco asked.

"Yeah, its parked next to Batman's at a hangar S.T.A.R. owns. Kelex, bring it over, land it in the parking lot." Alex ordered.

"You have someone who can control it?!"

"Cisco, now isn't the time." Barry told him. "You have to go now?" he asked Kara.

"I…I should. Yeah, I have to get to…work! Yes, I have a job and am an hour late already. I am sure I will get an angry phone call any minute. Yeah, I should get out of here. Nightwing, I suppose you can catch a ride with Batman?"

Dick hadn't taken his eyes off Barry Allen. He had been told about him one night, when he and Alex had been talking. He knew who the man was. He was the guy Alex swore Kara could have loved if she didn't have to give him up to be Supergirl. Now he was the Flash.

And Kara was shaken. Kara was never shaken. This guy's presence was affecting her, had her thrown. She wouldn't take her eyes off Barry Allen.

Dick thought of the necklace, the lightning bolt, she only took off …when he was over.

"Actually I need to go back to your place. We kind of rushed off this morning to help you. My clothes are still there."

Kara turned and stared, open mouthed at Dick Grayson. Bruce and Alex dropped their heads. Both had an idea who would be the next target of Kara's wrath and this would most likely turn into a very bad day for Nightwing.


	2. Chapter 2

Do not own CW or DC characters.

Chapter 2 Go get her Slugger

Dick Grayson had faced down many foes in his young life. He had taken down a serial killer know as Abattoir, a woman who called herself Cheshire and nearly left him in ribbons, and a meta human made entirely of clay. Fighting by Bruce's side, he battled monsters like Bane, assassins like Shiva and a green female metahuman who could control all plant life and did so with murderous intentions. He was no stranger to life or death battles.

The man had never taken the beating that was being administered to him by Kara Danvers at that moment. He and Alex had landed in an enlarged hollowed out cavern in the desert near the DEO base, where she kept her hover jet, the one Kara built that was nearly identical to Batman's. Changing his clothes, Alex and Dick made their way back to the city. Alex told him she would be going to the DEO's downtown office to avoid the blood splatter and suggested to Dick that he count his remaining clothes and overnight bag at Kara's apartment as lost goods and go back to Bludhaven as quickly as possible.

Dick did not take her advice.

When he arrived, the door was unlocked. Kara stood in the middle of the open room, having changed into jeans and a t shirt. He was grateful to see that she had put on a red sun bracelet she kept hidden from everyone. Perhaps she would be calm.

The poor man did not know she had put on the bracelet, so she would not have to hold back.

Kara and Alex had both trained in various forms of martial arts since they were young, Kara 13 and Alex 14. They knew as many styles as he did, and Bruce had taught them both a few more.

The blonde was using everyone she knew on him now.

The second kick to his groin made him nearly vomit. He tried to get up from his knees until her fist hit his mouth, sending him to the floor again.

Dick lay very still, thinking if he played dead, she might stop. After a few seconds he took a deep breath, followed by her foot into his ribs.

"Kara stop!" he gasped.

The man hopped to his feet, determined to defend himself some way. He lost track of where he thought she was. He turned just as Kara's coffee table slammed into his face, causing him to black out.

Dick was not sure how long he had been out. It couldn't have been long, maybe less than a minute. He woke up with her straddling him, and he hoped the beating had been a dream and they were actually about to begin more pleasurable activities. Instead her legs squeezed his ribs and she began hitting him again, straight jabs into his nose and eyes. Standing up once again, she delivered her third kick to his groin and walked away.

Nightwing rolled over, feeling nauseous. He was dizzy, and he knew blood was pouring out of his nose and mouth forming a puddle under his face and his eyes were swelling.

He heard a knock, what he thought was a knock. He couldn't be sure. For all he knew he had retreated into himself and the sound was Kara hitting him over the head with a rock.

Kara stopped circling him when there actually was a knock on the door. Walking over, she swung the door open.

"What?!"

Her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Hendon from across the hall was standing in front of her, shocked.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Mrs. Hendon." Kara told her quickly, planting a smile on her face. "I thought you might be a door to door salesman. How can I help you?"

The woman tried to look around Kara, so the girl walked out into the hall, keeping the door half closed.

"Are you okay, Dear? I heard shouting and screams and something breaking. I thought you may be getting attacked."

"Oh no. That is so sweet of you to check on me, but I am fine. I was watching a movie a bit too loudly. The washer was running. I suppose I didn't realize how loud it was. I am sorry if I disturbed you. I really should get back to it. It is a very good show."

"There…there is blood on your fist." the woman noted.

"Oh, it's not mine. I mean of course it's mine. Who else would it belong to? I slammed it in the bathroom door. Silly Kara. I really should get back to the movie. It's pretty violent but I will keep the volume down, I promise."

"Okay…if you are sure… I like your hair. Did you get it colored?"

"Yes! Yes, I did. Good movie don't want to miss any of it." Kara told her again.

"Has anyone every told you that you sort of resemble Supergirl without your glasses on?"

"Nope, never heard that before. Have a great day. I will keep the volume down."

Kara stepped back in and closed the door. She saw Grayson had made it up. Running across the room, she jumped and swung hard, her fist catching the man's nose and sending him back to the floor, definitely swallowing blood now.

The blonde walked into her bedroom and came out with his bag.

"Here are your clothes, Dick."

She walked to the sink and placed the bag in it. Ripping off her bracelet she unleashed her heat vision onto the garments, the entire bag catching fire. As the smoke rose, Kara blew gently to disperse the smoke. Once the garments were ash, she blew on the bag and doused the flames.

As she did this, Dick had found his feet again, though he wished he hadn't. The man was dizzy, nauseous, could barely hear, see or breathe.

Kara stalked towards him.

"Please Kara, no more." he begged as loudly as he was able to speak, which was just above a whisper.

Despite the beating that had just been delivered, what hurt him worse were the tears in her eyes.

"You made me out to be your whore. I have always told you what we are Grayson! Always! I never pretended to be anything else. What the hell gave you the right to say that?"

"You are not my…Kara, I am sorry. I didn't think."

"You knew exactly what you were saying. You wanted everyone in that room to know we were screwing. Feel better now? Do you feel like a man? You asshole! I should have told you to go away a long time ago! What is your problem!? You think I am yours? I am some prize you can claim?"

"No! I just…"

"I just. All I ever hear from you is I just. I was just in the neighborhood, Kara. A neighborhood on the other side of the country! I just wanted to talk, I just wanted to go to a movie, I just wanted to go out to dinner. I don't do dinner, Dick! I am not your girlfriend. Yeah, maybe I am your whore but that was private, your asshole!"

"You are not my…I made a mistake. I will fix it, I swear."

"Fix it? We were there on a mission. I never invited you to come. You had no reason to be there. Then in a room full of people, including a cop on his knees, you let everyone know you were at my place. You had to pick up your clothes, huh? The ashes are in the sink. Take a zip lock bag and get out of here. If you ever come back, I will kill you."

"I am sor…agghhh!"

Kara, bracelet now off as Dick realized, had him by his throat, feet off the ground. She let go and sent him back to the floor hard, landing on his back.

"I can't believe you said that in front of people we were there to question."

"You mean you can't believe I said that in front of Barry Allen."

Kara did not turn around. She wouldn't let him see her cry. She hated to cry, but it was something she did often. Jessica told her it was healthy, but all Kara saw it as was one of her many weaknesses.

"Don't say his name. He has nothing to do with this. What you said…"

"I'm sorry! I …I had never seen you like that!"

"Like what?" she asked. "Embarrassed? Humiliated?"

"No. Look, I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you six years ago, but I have never seen you look at anyone the way you looked at him today. I screwed up, Kara. What I did was wrong. I am so sorry and if I could take it back, I would. Beat me more, but please believe me. I will make this right."

"If you want to make it right then leave. Never come back. I never want to see you again."

Dick stood still, speechless. He would rather she had continued beating him. Beatings he could take. Kara had told him many times to leave and never come back but never with the hurt and conviction in her voice he heard now.

"I'm sorry. I will…I am sorry, Kara."

"Don't you ever say you love me again. Ever. That is not what this is about. It never has been. You know it. I don't love you. I never have. We used to be friends. You are nothing to me now. Leave now or I will throw you out the window."

Dick turned around and walked slowly to the door. Streaky was waiting by the exit and he could swear that damn cat was smiling.

Kara was left alone finally and went to the sink, pulling out the burnt remains and placing them in the trash. She poured water over her hands to clean his blood off. Then she reached into the fridge. Before she could pour a glass, her phone rang.

"What?"

"Good morning to you as well." Cat Grant greeted her. "No wait, it is afternoon. Since I haven't seen any one being saved on television, I am assuming you might find it in your heart to spend a few hours with me. I have been dealing with many minor issues that an assistant could take care of. Then I remembered, oh my, I do have an assistant. Are you planning on assisting today?" Cat Grant asked.

"Yeah, sorry. I was in Central City this morning."

Kara heard nothing for a few moments before her boss cautiously asked her…"You didn't destroy S.T.A.R. Labs, did you? You weren't seen doing it, were you?"

"S.T.A.R. Labs is still in one piece. What would you like for lunch?"

"Caesar Salad, a sprinkle of dressing, cucumbers, freshly cut on the side. Sparkling…"

"Two cheeseburgers all the way, two seasoned fries and two Cokes. Got it." Kara confirmed.

She hung up the phone before the woman could protest and moved to the bedroom, donning her work clothes and glasses, hair magically a darker shade of brown, with red highlights. She decided on green eyes today but the red from her tears was still obvious. Pouring a drink and downing it quickly, she was ready to face the world as Kara Danvers, assistant to Cat Grant when she wasn't busy with other things.

The girl made her way to her favorite food truck on foot, wearing a dress today and leaving her bike behind. Lunch bags in hand, she stopped outside Catco and placed a smile on her face.

As usual, she smiled and greeted the security guards, and receptionists. Taking Cat's private elevator just to annoy the woman, she exited and greeted all the staff she saw. Kara did not stop at her desk, but instead walked straight into Cat's office.

"Good afternoon Kara. I am not cutting into your busy schedule, am I? Any other cities you would like to invade before the end of the day?"

"Nope, I am good." she told her, closing the door and dropping the bag on her desk.

Cat shook her head in disgust at the grease soaking the bottom of the bag.

"When Congress called a session, debating whether they should force you to reveal your identity and be compelled to act on behalf of the States, who planted the false rumor that Russia was prepared to grant you full citizenship with no oversight?"

"You did." Kara admitted, pulling out her cheeseburger and taking a small bite.

"And who talked the UN Secretary General into granting you world citizenship and diplomatic immunity, free to come and go into any country you wish without a passport?"

"You did."

"Who went on the record, saying that you were definitely not having an affair with Bat Freak?"

"He is a good friend and you…"

"Who?"

"You did." Kara did owe her for that. Jeremiah was not happy about those rumors.

"Then why can't you do something as simple as bringing me what I asked for lunch?" the woman asked, genuinely curious to Kara's amusement.

"I care about you and these are better for your health." she explained, speaking through her own full mouth. "Meat is an important part of a diet and one of the four food groups. You do not consume enough meat. You are welcome."

"Nothing from whatever food truck you got these from is healthy. I am about to have a heart attack just from being near it."

" _All you ever do is complain."_ Kara told her in Kryptonese. _"You drink more than I do. You think that is good for your health?"_

"Stop speaking Klingon this second! I cannot stand when you speak space talk. We aren't in space, are we?"

"Not yet." Kara answered with a look that indicated it could be arranged.

Cat rolled her eyes, not intimidated by the brat she had long become accustomed to.

"Fine, Miss Grant. I will eat both and have a salad delivered."

"Do not touch my cheeseburger! My point is, I have done a lot for you and I can't see why it is so difficult for you to do the simplest tasks."

"You have done a lot for me. Oh wait, who do you publish the majority of your stories about? Right, that would be me. When you put Leslie Willis on a chopper and turned her into a metahuman, who saved you from being fried? Who defeated her?"

"Your sister."

"That's right…whoa! My sister?"

"She is the one who slid the little ghostbuster box under Leslie, while you stood there getting shocked."

"I was distracting her and drawing fire!"

"Really? Because it seemed like you were just standing there, doing an impersonation of …I am not sure where I was going with that. I will think on what you resembled later. Leslie Willis was your fault regardless. "Cat reminded her. "It was a lightning bolt through your body that turned her into the murdery, over the top villain she became."

"I was saving her because you put her on a chopper in a thunderstorm!"

"Because she was tearing you apart on the radio!"

"What should I have done?"

"Let the lightning bolt hit her." Cat suggested.

The two women looked at each other for a moment then both laughed, thinking the idea had merits in hindsight.

"Since you are the worst assistant in the world a new one will be starting tomorrow."

Kara looked sharply at the woman, trying to determine if she was serious. Apparently, Cat was.

"Fine. I bet Perry White needs an assistant. Lois and Jimmy would probably love to move back to the Planet. The only reason they work here is because they figured out I lived here."

"By all means, take the dynamic duo. I can't believe I let you talk me into hiring her."

"She won a Pulitzer for this company." Kara reminded her boss.

"Writing about you."

"Exactly which is why you aren't firing me. Plus, I know all your account numbers, every bill you have at Barney's, all the numbers for Carter's teachers, all the theatre managers in the States, it was my robot that kept you from being outed by that email scandal…"

"Stop already! I am not firing you." Cat assured her. "I am not sure why I'm not. Probably because my mother gave me self-esteem issues and deep in my subconscious I feel you are all I deserve. Due to your other activities that take up your time, I need someone to be here. Think of her as your assistant. You teach her not to be incompetent, in other words, teach her to do the opposite of everything you do, teach her the ins and outs and what to do when you aren't here, including bringing me the correct lunch. If she could bring me hot lattes that would be more than a CEO could ever dream of. Why are my lattes always cold? You have heat vision."

"I also have freeze breath and you have a habit of drunk dialing me at weird times when I am trying to sleep." Kara reminded her. " I apologize. I will make sure the powers I use to help mankind and protect this planet are at your disposal regarding the heat of your coffee. Did you miss any meetings this morning that need to be rescheduled? I sent you an email last night with your appointments for the day."

"Yes, that was so considerate of you." Cat admitted, shaking her head. " Why have you been crying?"

Kara looked away quickly and took a bite of her burger.

"I haven't…"

"You always make your eyes a darker green when you have been crying."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Have your parents perfected alien Prozac yet?"

"No. I don't need it anyway." Kara snapped.

"Of course not. You are the picture of emotional health. Are you at least seeing your therapist three times a week?"

Kara barely held in a growl. "Cat, please stop. I had a bad night and morning and I just don't want to talk about it. Who is this assistant who is desperate enough to take this job?"

"Shifon, or Shabby, or Sharif. I don't pay attention to names. She is going to be your lap dog. Guide her, try and make her somewhat competent. Her job is your job and one would not think it should be that difficult."

"You have no idea how easy it is." Kara told her sarcastically.

"Kara!" Lois Lane practically shouted, bursting into the office. She closed the glass door behind her quickly. "There are reports from Central City that you were seen flying away from S.T.A.R. Labs this morning and you were wearing all blue. Is it true? What's going on? Did you meet the Flash? Wait, you didn't kill the Flash, did you? Nobody saw you, right?"

"Good afternoon to you too, Lois." the blonde greeted her.

"All blue? What did I tell you about that suit? It makes you look like a pinup on one of those World War 2 bombers!" Cat nearly yelled.

"It was laundry day. That was the only one that was clean, and I was in a hurry." Kara lied.

"Wear jeans if you have to. Young girls…"

"I know!" Kara stopped her, having heard it hundred if not thousands of times from Cat. "Young girls look up to me. Believe me, I regret wearing it now. I was pretty much called out as a whore in front of…it doesn't matter. Yes, I was there, no I did not kill the Flash."

"Did you meet him? Do you know who he is?" the woman continued pressing.

"I don't reveal other identities, Lois. Yeah, I know. I wouldn't tell you his identity any more than I would tell you Batman's You know this by now."

Kara had told Lois her identity when the woman began working for Cat after she figured out that Cat and she spoke a lot more than her and Lois did. When Kara began working here it became too much of a pain to lie. Lois was one of the few people who had been close enough to Supergirl often enough to see through the hair and glasses. Getting her and Jimmy to agree to keep her identity a secret was easy. She threatened them and told them in vivid detail what she would do if they betrayed her. It worked.

"There is a rumor that a black flying object was leaving Central City and that jet thing your sister flies…"

"You were with Batman again? Kara, you have got to find better friends." Cat admonished her, not for the first time.

"Better friends? When I was fighting my evil uncle, I had to go through a White Martian first. My uncle had an edge over me and it was Batman that distracted him long enough for me to take control of the fight. He is the one who deactivated that bomb at Gotham City Hall while I handled the one at the airport. The last meta I fought…"

"Yes, your team of vigilantes is dear to you. I suppose it could be worse." Cat conceded. "At least you weren't seen with that hooded serial killer in Starling City."

Kara took another bite of her burger.

"Wow. You know who the Hood is." Lois caught on, aware of Kara's penchant for eating when avoiding a subject.

"We have met. I wouldn't call us friends. He knew someone was alive that he had told me was dead and I wanted this man very…arrested."

Cat rolled her eyes. "Arrested. Of course you did, Kara. Are you going to be useful for the rest of the day?"

The Blonde shrugged her shoulders. "Probably not. Jimmy isn't taking pictures of anything. Can't he answer the phones?"

"Since you have been crying and are deflecting and most of my calendar is clear, by all means go."

"I can't yet. We need to talk about the account."

Cat nodded her head. It was that time of the week. Catco held the trademark on Kara's symbol and the name Supergirl. Even before she worked at Catco, the two women would meet once a week and decide what to do with the money.

"Lois be gone." Cat ordered.

"Not yet. I got an idea for a story. I have a source who can get me an interview with the leader of the rebel movement in Pakistan and…"

"Is there a good chance you will die covering this story?" Cat interrupted.

"Uh…yeah."

"By all means then, take my private jet. Off with you now. If you are taken hostage, I am not paying any ransom."

"Love you too, boss lady." Lois told her with a wink and left, leaving the CEO and assistant alone.

"How much this month?" Kara asked, getting to the point. Cat had trademarked and copyrighted her name and symbol less than 24 hours after Kara caught her first and thankfully only plane so far. After drinks one night, Cat offered to give Kara the proceeds of merchandise using her name and symbol. Kara refused, insisting it all be sent to charities like Make a Wish and her own charity her and Cat had started, assisting families of kids with Cancer and children's hospitals. Kara felt it had caused enough pain on one planet and maybe it could be used for something good here. Every month the two would go over the dollar amount and Kara would decide what children's hospital the money would be granted to.

"We have done quite well. Perhaps an all blue costume would give collectors something else to buy but please cover your entire top and make the skirt the same length as the red one. So what institution will be getting a windfall?"

"None this month."

Cat was surprised. "Have you finally decided to take a bit of what you have earned?"

"I will never take a dime off that symbol. It wouldn't be right. I have a list of 26 children that are in stage 4. They have all been told there is nothing else that can be done for them. There is a new treatment in Switzerland that has had some success. Their insurance carriers won't pay for them to go so we are. We set the families up near the hospital, pay for their living expenses and treatment costs and give the rest to the hospital as incentive to take these kids as patients."

"I will contact the hospital as soon as you get me the names."

"They are being emailed to you now."

Grant shook her head trying not to laugh. "I wish you were as quarter as efficient as your robot servant."

"Then what would you have to complain about?" Kara asked, a fair question. "We both know you love complaining. Talk to the hospital administrator and I will contact the families this evening. I can have flights and lodging booked by tomorrow evening. The sooner they can start the better. Time is running out."

"I understand. May I ask why you are so adamant to never accept money off the symbol of your house?"

"It isn't my house anymore. It has caused enough damage and is dead. I wore it as a target, but it became more. If it is out there, it must be used for something good. My little brother deserves that. He will wear it one day and I want it to be something he can be proud of. If he ever finds out the truth, the whole truth, he wouldn't…it's just…anyway, contact the hospital and I will make the arrangements. I have already talked to the families. They are desperate, willing to try anything. It won't save them all but if even one…"

"It will be done, Kara. Whatever has made you upset this morning, if you don't want to talk to me, talk to your family, talk to your therapist. Just talk to somebody instead of drinking. No matter how much you drink you won't drown the problem. I've learned that the hard way in life."

"Yeah, I know. I am going to have lunch with my sister and parents now. I will be here barring any end of the world events in the morning to start training my lap dog. Can I yell at her like you yell at everybody?"

"Oh, if you must. Have fun. Remember every time you run one off it means you have to train another. Why do you think I have kept you so long? Also, there is a party tomorrow night, a fundraising Gala for the National City Museum. I need you there."

"Why?" she asked immediately.

"To assist me if I need you. It's been a year, Kara. What part of assistant do you not get?"

"I guess I will be there." the girl agreed. "I'm not getting you drinks. Seriously, it's ridiculous that you would need an assistant at a party. If you insist, I guess I don't have anything else going on."

"Thank you for granting me such an honor. It would not kill you to get out in public in something other than a cape. Go, have a second lunch, gain no weight while I eat half of this grease sandwich and go to Pilates for two hours tonight."

At the DEO, Jeremiah had just unsuccessfully attempted to make a very tired Alex feel better. He expected her to be furious at Cameron, at J'onn for offering Cameron the job, at the world at large. Instead she just seemed resigned and that hurt him worse. At least he felt better knowing she would be moving back in with Kara. The two always were better together than apart. She may not open to him, but she would tell Kara everything.

For now, he had concluded a tour with the newest tech support guru. Vivian had finally been let off by the government and promptly resigned, planning to make it on her own. Connolly and Webb had recruited this kid. He was only 24, Kara's age and apparently the son of a man who killed people with bombs disguised as toys, but Director Henshaw had read his mind and he was supposedly sane. The more he got to know Winn Schott Jr, the more he liked him. He had a wide-eyed wonder about everything he saw. Showing him to his main console where he would give intel to teams in the field, the boy nearly jumped when the speaker announced a Code Blue.

"What is that? Has an alien escaped? Radiation?" he asked nervously.

"Relax Winn. Code Blue is an alert to the agents not to panic, Supergirl is about to come flying onto the balcony."

"Super...Supergirl? She really works for the DEO? I heard that but didn't believe it. Do you know her? Am I going to meet her?"

"Relax. She doesn't work for the DEO, but she works with us at times. You could say I know her. It's one of those secrets that are well known here but not talked about. She is actually…"

HIs explanation stopped when Supergirl landed on the balcony and began walking down the steps towards Winn's console.

"She is coming this way. What do I say? What do I do?"

"You could say hi and introduce yourself." Jeremiah suggested.

"Hey, do you think it's true about her and Batman?" the man asked very quietly. "That they are…you know? Has she ever said anything? They are seen a lot together and I heard they were close. Do you think they are…"?

"Hi Dad." Kara greeted the man, hugging him and kissing his cheek. "Who is this?"

"Nobody who will be around for long." Jeremiah assured her, putting a hand on Winn's shoulder and squeezing. Let's find your mother and sister and eat. I am starving."

"Okay. Hi Nobody who will be around for long. For the record. I'm not having sex with Batman." Kara told Winn with a sweet smile and walked off on her father's arm.

Winn sat speechless and embarrassed, not realizing he had been talking to her...father? She heard him? Of course she did, she is Supergirl. The man palmed his face, not believing that was his introduction to his idol.

"Good first impression, Agent Schott." Director Henshaw told him, patting the kid on the back. "He has another daughter who is an agent here if you would like to ask about her sex life. I would suggest you familiarize yourself with the tools of your job. Have a nice day. Oh, and don't drink or eat anything offered by the Danvers. They are our top biochemists. You would not believe some of the nasty alien viruses those two can create."

The family of four, minus Clark who was at school, sat in Eliza's lab. The woman had gotten Chinese take-out and as always passed a large bag of pot stickers to Kara. It was a way for Eliza to make her happy and gauge her mood. If Kara ate one or two, she was okay. If she ate them all she was very happy. If she ate none, she would be getting frequent surprise visits from her mother and father.

Today she ate none.

"Not hungry Kara?" Eliza asked, trying to sound casual.

"I already ate at the office before I came here. Hey Alex, why do you have a bag at the loft?"

Alex stopped chewing, then swallowed quickly, followed by a large drink.

"Do I?"

Kara caught her evasion immediately of course, mostly because unlike Kara, Alex was a horrible liar.

"You and Cameron had a fight, didn't you?"

"Not exactly. We had a parting of ways. She was offered the job of Deputy Director of the DEO office in Metropolis and decided to take it. I was as surprised as everyone else."

"Henshaw offered her the position?" Kara asked, obviously not happy.

The three realized they would have to calm her down quickly before the DEO became a battlefield for Supergirl versus the Martian Manhunter. Of course, J'onn couldn't reveal his true form and identity so Kara would most likely pretend he was the real Hank Henshaw and treat him as such.

"She deserved it. It wouldn't have been right for him not to offer her the job." Alex argued.

"So, you are thinking of moving to Metropolis?" her sister asked cautiously.

"No, she thinks we need space. Like a country of space between us."

Kara shook her head and stood up, wrapping her arms around a still sitting Alex. "Alex, talk to her. You don't have to stay for me. I know you love her…"

"I don't. I did once, and she loved me but…Kara, it hasn't been working for a while. I thought when we moved in together, maybe it would solve some things, but it didn't."

Kara shook her head. "So, stop going out crime fighting at night."

"That's not it. I suppose I could blame that, but it wasn't the problem. It was just time. We both needed to move on. She didn't understand me, and I didn't understand her."

"She was too old for you." her father told her, not entirely unhappy at this turn of events. Chase and his daughter had begun doing…things when Alex was 19 and hanging around the DEO. He wasn't pleased to learn about it a year later, but there was not much to be done by that point.

"Jeremiah," Eliza warned him, "what did or did not happen or who was what to who, doesn't matter now. I think it is a great idea for Alex to move back in with Kara until she can figure out what she wants or perhaps stay single for a while. You are young, and you have a demanding job among your other activities. Maybe it is for the best. Jeremiah, rent a moving truck after work and you and Kara can move Alex's things."

"Yes Ma'am." both agreed.

"Unless you want to come home with us, Alex? Maybe you both should for a little while. Get away from the city and crime and enjoy the beach life. Clark is almost out for the summer and I know he wants to spend more time with both of you."

"Stop listening Clark." Kara told him, hearing him ask if they would come to the beach this weekend. "You are supposed to be paying attention at school. I know Shakespeare is stupid, but you still have to learn it…I don't know why, you just do. I had to and so will you."

"Have you two ever considered texting each other?" Alex asked.

"I would love to. Tell him to stop listening to everyone when he is bored, Mom and Dad."

Eliza smiled at her. "Who taught him to drown out millions of sounds, find individual voices and listen to make sure we are all safe?"

"I told him I listen, not for him to listen. Also, I do not listen all the time. Alex and I will be fine, and we can spend the weekend at your house. I was hoping we could get away for a week this summer to go home."

Home in Kara's mind was always Midvale. The Danvers still owned the house and Kara flew over a few times a month to make sure it was being well taken care of and to hang out alone for a while. The house had some horrible events happen in it, mostly the real Henshaw attacking them and nearly being killed by Kara before Connolly's team killed all the DEO agents present. It was also the place where she had her first of two suicide attempts, the place she had harmed herself too many times to count. But the good outweighed the bad easily. It was her home, the place she learned English, discovered food, and movies, spent holidays, the place her mother and father held her at night when she couldn't sleep, the place her and Alex snuck out of or played pranks or just held each other at night to make each other feel better. Midvale was where Clark played his first soccer game, where Kara learned to fly and her and Alex spent so much time on the beach it should have been named after them.

"So, Kara took a trip with her friend in black to Central City this morning." Alex mentioned. "And guess who she saw?"

"Alex don't…" Kara begged.

"Let me guess, the Flash? Kara, please tell me you didn't beat the poor guy. I know he has been around a lot of disasters, but he has been trying…" Eliza started.

"It's Barry Allen." Alex spit out quickly. Kara dropped her head and the pot sticker she had considered eating.

"Barry Allen? Barry Allen is the Flash? That Barry Allen? The Barry Allen?" her father asked to be sure. He had never met him in person but Alex said Kara lit up around him in a way she had never seen before. That was enough for him to like the boy. He also knew Kara cut off contact before she decided to come out as Supergirl, so he wouldn't be a target. She never admitted it how bad it hurt her, but he knew it was a bigger deal than she let on. She never stopped wearing that necklace he gave her.

"Yeah, it's a long story." Kara told them. "One I am sure Alex would love to tell you. Give me your card, Daddio. I'll rent the truck and start moving her things. Our place will be Alex ready when you get home. I am sorry, but it will be good to have you home. I will have your favorite pizza and maybe we can watch the Notebook and cry it out, okay?"

"I was thinking Poltergeist and the original Shining."

"Okay, this once. But you are sleeping with me and if I have nightmares and knock you off the bed, that is on you. I also need to pick up a new coffee table." Kara remembered.

"What happened to the one we had?"

"Uh…it had a tragic accident. You know me, sometimes I forget my own strength. See you at home." The girl decided not to mention that she had thrown the coffee table at Grayson with her bracelet on. Her father would be ecstatic, and her mother would insist on more therapy sessions to work on her temper.

Kara left, leaving an uneaten plate no one talked about, but all knew what it signified.

"I might take off early. I got no sleep last night. Left Cameron, went to Kara's, found out she was gone and flew to Central City. I need sleep."

"Are you really okay?" her mother asked. "It's okay if you are not. Why don't you talk to Jessica before you leave or at least talk to me?"

"Maybe later. Right now, I don't want to think about it. I just want to sleep. I'll give Kara a couple hours to get my bed home and then I am going to crash for about 14 hours. I promise this weekend we will come out to the beach."

"Good." Jeremiah agreed. I will have the grill fired up and nothing short of a major, historical natural disaster is going to bother us. We also need to pick a time for us to talk about Kara and her...she is beginning to have tremors. I know we have all noticed it. What she is doing has to stop."

"Not now." Alex warned, assuming Kara was listening like she always did. They could write on paper later. Yes, she had noticed that Kara's hands shook at times and shortly after she had a drink the shaking stopped. The drinking had gotten out of control, been out of control for a long time most likely and something would have to be done, soon.

 **Central City**

Barry stood by the window in his lab, having given up on work. He had seen her, he had dreamed about seeing her in the past, but it had happened. He thought seeing her on television all the time was enough, but it wasn't. She was more beautiful in person. There was absolutely no way he could think about work today.

"Hey!" Iris practically shouted, walking in quickly. "Is it true? Dad won't talk about it, but Caitlin told me he got taken out by Batman and Supergirl was there? You met her? You knew her? You know her?"

Barry shook his head, not in the mood for the third degree by his best friend.

"Good afternoon. How are you? I'm fine and you?"

"Cut it out Barry. Is it true?" Iris asked again slapping him on the shoulder.

"You didn't see the video before you raced over here?"

"No, it was erased. Cisco is freaked out. Apparently, some code broke his system and erased everything. He thinks it was an alien code, at least in his opinion. Caitlin may have told me some of the details."

"Then you know that Joe did not get taken out by Batman. He was taken out by Nightwing and Manhunter."

"You met them?! Nightwing? Oh my God, I saw a picture of him once. It wasn't great light but that costume, you could tell he had a gorgeous body. He is on par with Oliver Queen. That dark hair…did he have his mask off? Did he have dark eyes? They were probably smoky or smoldering maybe? Give me the scoop."

Barry clenched his jaw but tried to remain unaffected.

"Yes, Nightwing was very muscular, Batman was very scary and Manhunter was very thin but had a lot of weapons that looked like they could do serious damage. Supergirl was…"

"In a hot blue suit according to Caitlin. Okay, forget about the vigilantes, unless you want to give me more details about Nightwing. How do you know Supergirl? Caitlin said she recognized you with your mask on, just by seeing your eyes. You must know her well."

"I did." he told her. "We haven't seen each other in six years."

Iris caught the sadness in his voice. She had heard it before.

"Six years? The rumors I heard place her in National City…Caitlin said something about a necklace…oh Barry. Why didn't I think of this? You called her Kara. It was her, wasn't it? The girl you met in National City and called and texted all the time."

"Is there anything Caitlin didn't tell you?" he asked, annoyed that he had been a topic of conversation by everyone but not surprised.

"That's all. Just her name and the necklace. Did you know when you two were talking?"

"No. She ended it a couple weeks before she caught that plane." he admitted.

"That's why you were so weird about that." Iris guessed. "But you saw her. You are a superhero too. Maybe…"

'Maybe what?" Barry interrupted, crossing his arms and turning away from her. "She was there to find out why S.T.A.R. was in the middle of so many screw ups. I told her. I told her everything. She saw what Zoom did to me, she knows I let my father die…"

"You did not let him die."

"That isn't the point, Iris."

"You beat Zoom." the girl reminded him.

"Yeah, and if I had asked for her help, maybe my father would still be alive, maybe Caitlin wouldn't have been hurt, maybe the multiverse wouldn't have nearly ended. She had a plan to take him out. It would have been easy for her. I didn't want to…I told myself I didn't want him to get his hands on her, but I don't think that is true. I think I wanted to prove that I could handle it and I didn't."

"You won, Barry."

"It doesn't feel like that. Do you remember that guy who was made of rock and had one eye in Metropolis?"

"Yeah, he had that laser that came out…what about it? He was an alien."

"I couldn't have done anything but run around. What did she do? She flew in, he hit her with that beam and didn't even slow her down. One punch. She never even landed, just swooped in hit him, knocked him out and flew off like she was late for a date or something. I let my pride…"

"That is not true. You…Barry, we won. You won."

"Yeah." he agreed. "I must have impressed her enough that she felt the need to invade S.T.A.R. Labs with Batman and ask what the hell was going on? She stopped when she realized who I was but…it was embarrassing. Admitting to her that I let what happened…she was worried for me. She felt sorry for me, regretted not being there so she could clean up the problem and I wouldn't get hurt. I'm the Flash, but she was worried about me. She has no problem working with humans, but she worried about me. I don't blame her. Her and Batman have taken down the strongest metas and aliens on the planet. I struggled…she saw me being dragged all over Central City by Zoom on TV."

Iris looked over her friend, heart breaking at the depression in his voice and on his face.

"Barry, she wanted to protect you because after all this time she still cares about you."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, leaning against his desk.

"Women don't wear necklaces for years from guys they don't care about."

"She has a boyfriend." he told her, hating to say it.

That caught Iris by surprise. Caitlin hadn't said anything about a boyfriend.

"She told you that?"

"Not exactly. Not her. Nightwing…"

"Oh my God, she is with Nightwing? Of course, she is, he is so hot... and this is so not helping. Let's take it back a step. Did he say she was his girlfriend?"

Barry took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling.

"He told everyone he had to go back to her place because he left his clothes there. It was pretty obvious what he was inferring."

"You don't always catch the obvious. At any time did she introduce him as her boyfriend?"

Barry was becoming very annoyed. "No Iris. I just told you it was inferred. By the look on her face it was true and…"

"Whoa." Iris stopped him. "The look on her face? What look exactly?"

"She seemed…surprised, kind of mad I guess. Embarrassed?"

"Embarrassed? Okay then, he isn't her boyfriend."

Barry looked at her to see if she was serious. Apparently, she was.

"His clothes were at her place."

"Yeah, and I suppose you have been celibate these last few years?"

"Yes! I mean, not by choice but yeah, for the most part. Okay yes, I have been. I'm not exactly a lady's man, Iris and we have had a lot going on."

"I get that, but that doesn't mean she has been." Iris pointed out. "She probably thought she would never see you again. Think about it. Her and her…sister?"

Barry nodded.

"Her and her sister hang out with Batman and Nightwing. They all are involved in some crazy things. They get to fight bad guys all the time and see a lot of bad stuff, just like you have. Nightwing is in Bludhaven all the time. If he were her boyfriend don't you think he would live with her? I am sure someone in her position would need an outlet. I bet she has a lot of tension to let out."

"Kara would not have sex with a guy just to blow off steam. She wouldn't do that unless she loved someone."

"Do you think I am the kind of girl who would do that?"

"Of course not."

"That shows how little you know about me. I don't sleep around, and I don't love Oliver Queen, but if I had a chance, I would wreck him. I'm not kidding either. Her life, it must be lonely, Barry. Sure, she has a sister, but she also has the weight of the world on her shoulders, sometimes literally. You are probably reading too much into this thing. Maybe he spent the night because they are friends. Maybe it is casual sex every now and then." she suggested.

"But Caitlin said she wouldn't take her eyes off you. You are hot too. Stop selling yourself short. So what if he looks like an underwear model? He can't break the sound barrier and Zoom would have killed him in seconds. You are a hero and she knows that. She also really liked you before this Flash stuff. Maybe she isn't into a certain type of guy. Maybe she is just into you. She wears the necklace you gave her under her costume. That means something. It means that every time she is doing something dangerous or protecting others, she feels you are with her. She pushed you away to protect you, right?

Barry shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the window, seeing that is was now raining.

"I should be so mad at you. I thought I was mad when I found out on my own that you were the Flash and didn't tell me. But this? You have known who she is all this time? I have a Supergirl coffee mug. I have Supergirl underwear…"

"Iris! TMI, okay?" Barry told her quickly.

"Hey, every female on this planet looks to her as a symbol of strength. She is the definition of girl power. If you like her that much she must be a pretty amazing person."

"She is or was. I really know nothing about her now. It has been six years and she was keeping a pretty big secret then."

"Yeah, a secret she didn't want anyone to find out, but she still spent time with you anyway."

Barry had thought of that. It would have been in her best interest to not spend any time with him at all, especially after she learned why he was in National City.

"You think she really thinks about me when she is out there?"

"Yeah, I do. You just found her again. At least call her. If she is really with the underwear model, she will tell you. Then you can be friends while stealing her from him."

"I don't know her number. I'm sure it has changed. She still lives in the same place, but I am not going to just show up unannounced."

"You know her last name. You could find her number. Maybe it didn't change. I know Cisco could find it. At least text her. Tell her it was good to see her again."

Barry smiled at her. "You just want to meet her, don't you?"

"Of course not! But if she was around do you think she would take a selfie with me?"

Iris was glad to see a genuine smile on his face now. As long as she could get him to at least smile she knew he would be okay for a while.

"Iris, my Dad just died. He was just murdered, and I couldn't do anything about it. This probably isn't the best time to try and win a girl, especially the most famous girl in the world."

"Then you are an idiot." Iris told him. "Because I know in my heart if Henry were here he would have his hand on the back of your neck and tell you to go get her, Slugger. He would not want you to stop living. All he and your mother ever wanted was for you to be happy. This might be a chance for that Barry. Do what you want, but if you don't at least text her you are an idiot. I have said my peace. If you don't text her I will repeat this every day until you do. Now I am going to soothe over Dad's wounded ego by taking him to lunch. Want to come?"

"I don't know…"

"Of course you do. You can't stand by the window looking at the rain all day and it is obvious you aren't getting any work done. While we are at lunch you can ask Cisco to find her number. Doesn't that sound like a great plan?"

Iris reached out her hand and Barry took it, allowing her to pull him away. What she said definitely had him thinking.

What was the worst that could happen?

He could be told by the girl he had been in love with for the past six years that she was in a serious relationship with an underwear model who wore spandex.

That would definitely be the worst that could happen.

 **National City**

Kara sat on the couch with Alex, curled into her side. As many times as Alex made her watch these horrible movies they still freaked her out. The two girls switched ice cream cartons and Kara tried not to flinch as Jack Nicholson splintered a door with an axe.

"I would fry him." Kara told her sister. "Are you really okay?"

"No, not really. I guess I am, but I'm not. I'm kind of sad and kind of relieved. Maybe I needed a new start. I was getting tired of all the fighting."

"Maybe you should stop going on the streets at night? Whoever you date is going to want to spend nights with you, Alex, not compete with criminals for your attention."

"Then who would keep you from getting in trouble?"

Kara sat her ice cream on the new coffee table.

"I'm not saying you…Oh stop it!" she finished, talking to Jackie in the TV. "I'm not saying you can't fight with me, but I don't prowl the streets at night looking for street gangs or drug dealers. You could just cut it down to metas and aliens for a while. I would like it if you would."

"I would like it if you stopped drinking." Alex told her, causing Kara to cringe.

"Please don't, Alex. I have been doing everything everybody wants of me. I haven't hurt myself, I haven't been reckless, I didn't destroy S.T.A.R. Labs. I've been controlling my temper…."

Kara stopped, annoyed at Alex's sharp laugh.

"I was listening to your feed. If you touch him I will tear your limbs off. Oh hey Barry. Sorry, didn't know it was you."

"I thought Harrison Wells was alive."

"And you planned to kill him." Alex reminded her.

"No…I just wanted to make him really hurt. Permanently."

"Uh huh. So are you going to call him?"

"Call who?" Kara tried.

"Don't. I think you should have called him after we blew up Myriad. He doesn't need to worry about the Lex Luthors of the world now. You have no more excuses. You should call him."

"He thinks I am screwing Grayson."

"You are screwing Grayson. I mean you were. I am guessing that was his blood on the floor that I wiped up?"

"We may have had a discussion that turned violent…on my part. He deserved it. I can't believe I wore that uniform. If Grayson didn't make me sound like a whore that outfit made me look like one. I'm throwing it away."

"No, it didn't make you look like a whore. You looked hot. Plus now you know he must really like you. All that skin showing, and he never stopped staring at your eyes. I always did like him. You should call him."

"No, its best if I just leave it alone. Even if he can take care of himself, you know what a wreck I am, Alex. Who would want my drama?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, be the crazy cat lady for the rest of your life. I get that you want to get rid of your powers when you are 30 but does that mean you are going to live the rest of your life alone too? You said you wanted to be normal. You have always said that. Normal is falling in love."

"Can we please not talk about me? Are you going to call her? At least make sure she made…"

"Hell no. I have had it, Kara. I think the saddest thing is I just don't care. I'm an adult now. Sort of. I need to find someone who shares my interests."

"I don't think there is anyone who shares your love of fast vehicles and alien weapons." Kara fairly pointed out.

"True but there has to be someone out there who has what I am looking for. Someone who isn't focused on climbing some ladder, who is more interested in doing what is right."

"Yep, because a lot of people are like that. Face it Alex, we are going to be spinsters. Maybe we should get a few more cats."

"Or maybe you should call Barry Allen instead of having a drink once I fall asleep."

"Yeah, maybe. But not tonight. I had enough embarrassment for a day and you need me to cuddle with you. It's okay if you want to cry."

"I'm not going to cry."

"I'm just saying it can be healthy…"

"Kara, stop. I am not going to cry. I will take the cuddling though. Let's go to sleep."

The two girls retired to the bedroom and Kara took up her customary position when Alex was upset, sitting with her back against the headboard while Alex curled into her side. The girl must have been emotionally and physically exhausted because she fell asleep after ten minutes. Kara continued to run her fingers through Alex's hair, upset that her sister had to be heartbroken but very happy inside that she had Alex back. Living without her had been…lonely.

Gently placing her on the pillow, the blonde walked quietly to the kitchen, listening to the sound of Alex's breathing. She opened a bottle and poured a glass, having no doubt that Alex would check the level in the morning, but not caring at the moment. She couldn't stop thinking about him and those damn eyes that captivated her so many years ago. She walked to the window and enjoyed her drink, telling herself it would only be one, and knowing it would probably turn into two or four.

Her cell phone vibrated on the kitchen counter. Thinking Cat must be drunk texting her, or Lois or even Bruce asking if Dick was still alive, Kara was pleasantly surprised.

Barry had texted her.

/What are you doing? /

Kara shook her head and smiled.

/Thinking about fast cars, fast motorcycles and faster guys. You? /


	3. Chapter 3

**Do not own DC or CW.**

 **Chapter 3 Nightwing meets the Flash**

Barry Allen had woken up with a smile. He smiled as he had his morning coffee at Jitters, he smiled on the walk to work. The man was so happy he even took his time getting to work, walking instead of running and not caring if he was late.

Once he was in his lab though, the smile began to fade. Thinking of the night before and the conversation that had led into the morning, Barry began to over analyze everything, like the scientist he was.

The conversation had been nice. Cordial. Pleasant even. Two friends who hadn't seen each other in six years, catching up on the basics of life. Where she worked, where he worked, the college experiences both had. She never asked about Zoom or Thawne, not that she would over text.

Kara had talked about The Force Awakens and called him out once again for being a Trekkie. He brought up Jar Jar Binks and she once again defended the alien only an alien could love.

She was still the same in many ways, the sci fi nerd who loved mix martial arts, motorcycles and art. Kara still went to the same ice cream shop that was the location of their first kind of date.

But that was it. No talk of love lasting over the years. He never brought it up and neither did she. She didn't mention the necklace or whether the Nightwing character was her boyfriend. Kara never asked if he had a girlfriend. He wanted to know more, but the things he wanted to know could not be discussed over text.

Yet he couldn't visit her. She hadn't asked him too. Could he just show up? Would that be too forward, or unwanted? If she wanted him there, she could have asked. The blonde knew he could be there in an hour or less. He may have broken his personal best regarding speed to get there. Had she not wanted him there because she lived with NIghtwing? No, he said he left his clothes at her place. That indicated he did not live there. If she was in a serious relationship, would she have text messaged him until 2 AM? Kara said she had to go because she heard her sister mumbling in her sleep. He supposed that meant Alex most likely lived with her still, making it doubtful Nightwing did. There was only one bedroom, right?

"Wake up." Joe told him, surprising the man, not having heard him walk in.

"I am awake." he told his foster father. Joe shook his head. He and Iris were going to have to push him the entire way.

"You are staring out that window like you are expecting to see a blonde in red and blue flying up to see you. Did you talk to her last night?"

Barry grinned slightly, figuring Joe would want to know. He had not been as pushy as Iris but subtly suggested he give it a shot.

"Yeah, I sent her a text last night."

The man waited. Not hearing anything else he leaned against Barry's desk and waited for him to talk.

"C'mon Barry, there is no way you are keeping this to yourself. Did she reply? Did you talk…find out anything about the underwear model?" he asked.

Barry tried to hide the annoyance on his face at the mention of the underwear model. Not only had he fought by Kara's side many times, he also looked like…that. There was no need to constantly remind him that the guy was built like Oliver Queen. He had once had a thing for Felicity and she was more interested in Oliver. Of course thinking back on it, he wondered if he was into Felicity because she sort of looked like Kara, at least the blonde hair and glasses. She could also be kind of a nerd like Kara was capable of being.

Had he been subconsciously comparing all women he had met over the last six years to Kara? It wasn't like he hadn't seen the blonde over the years. He watched every news story about her, knew all the battles she fought in public. He kept every magazine he could find with her picture in it, most likely on the cover.

"Yes, she replied, no she didn't say anything about the underwear model. I didn't ask."

"Why not?" Joe asked quickly.

Barry shrugged his shoulders. Why hadn't he? Easy, he was afraid of the answer.

"Not my business." Barry answered shortly.

Joe shook his head. Barry had not been himself since Henry's death. Of course he hadn't but the Joe hoped he wouldn't retreat into himself. He and Iris had done their best, Cisco and Caitlin tried, even Wally was around Barry more than usual. Nothing worked. It had almost gotten to the point that he wanted another meta to show up in Central City and give the Flash something to focus on instead of his father's death.

Now Joe found himself focusing on an alien, maybe the only girl on the planet who could bring life back to man he considered his son.

"So go see her. Maybe the next time she gets involved in a fight you can go help out."

Barry laughed at that. What could he possibly do that the greatest superhero in the world couldn't?

"What could I possibly do Joe? I would just get in her way. Besides she is all over the place. National City, then Metropolis, Gotham, Star City, London, Paris. Anywhere a meta or alien shows up, she is there. She must be a lot faster than I am. I don't understand how she can be so many places so quickly. She must be traveling…"

"In space." Joe finished, surprising Barry.

"Space?"

Joe shrugged his shoulders.

"That's what Cisco thinks. There have been rumors that she can fly in space. He believes that by breaking the atmosphere, she can use the rotation of the Earth and lack of wind resistance to be anywhere quickly."

Barry shook his head. He had heard those rumors as well but discounted them. She needed to breathe, right? Or did she? Maybe the cults had it right. Maybe she was the Goddess of Earth.

"She has to breathe." he told him.

"You shouldn't be able to breathe when you are running." Joe argued. "The speed you move, the wind moving so fast past you, how are you able to breathe? How does your heart rate stay normal? People like you are special, son. The people may call you all gods on Earth, but you are just a guy given a gift and doing what is right. So is she. No matter what or who she is, she is still just a girl who was looking at you with stars in her eyes."

"Doesn't matter." Barry decided. "She doesn't need help and if she does, she has her sister and Batman…and the underwear model I guess."

"Batman." Joe grumbled. "Freak. Makes Oliver Queen seem sane. So that was her sister that took me out, huh?"

"Her sister probably saved your life or at least some bones. I doubt you were the first one who pulled a gun on Batman and he hasn't been shot yet. Besides, Kara made his suit, at least some of it. Didn't you notice? The material all four of them wore was the same. Even Batman had an outer layer of it. Kara can fly into burning buildings and not have a scratch on her suit. That material is indestructible. I've seen bullets bounce off her on the news but no holes in her outfit. Alien technology. Even the weapons her sister carries are alien. Kara takes care of her team."

Joe thought about this. He had been a mixture of angry and slightly scared if he was being honest, so he didn't pay much attention to what the girl who took him down had been wearing or her weapons. He was worried about the man with bat ears whose eyes he couldn't see, as if they were pits of darkness. Joe couldn't reconcile that man with the sunny blonde in the short skirt, but it was obvious they were close. Not as close as her and the underwear model, he suspected, but did not say this aloud.

"Maybe you could be part of her team." Joe suggested.

"She doesn't need me. She never has. If I wasn't the Flash I would have gone the rest of my life never seeing her in person, never talking to her. She didn't come to ask the Flash for help, she showed up to find out why we screw up so much."

"Maybe it was fate."

"Fate hasn't exactly been kind to us, Joe." Barry pointed out.

"So maybe fate owes us one. Don't stop talking to her, Barry. I didn't see much, but I saw the way she looked at you. Just don't quit. She seems like she would be worth fighting for."

A knock on the door surprised both men. Usually Iris or Cisco did not knock, and Singh stayed away, preferring to scream for Barry from his desk downstairs or call him. The two took in a man with dark hair and a very swollen face, including two black eyes, one slightly swollen and a large gash on the side of his head. He looked as if he had been mugged. Though he was wearing stone washed jeans, combat boots and a dark blue t shirt, both recognized that dark hair and build.

Nightwing was here.

"If you are here to report a mugging, you need to file a complaint with the desk sergeant on the first floor." Joe told him, surprised at the man's appearance and not happy that he was here.

"Yeah, something tells me it wouldn't do much good. It would probably only make her angrier and that is never a good thing. You think I could have a talk with you?" he asked, looking straight at Barry.

It was Joe who answered.

"Talk away."

Dick looked at Joe and back at Barry. Barry looked at Joe, indicating he should leave them alone.

Joe let out a deep breath and walked out, bumping the beaten man on his way out.

"Barry Allen, I'm Dick Grayson."

Sounds like a porn star name, was Barry's first thought.

"What can I do for you, Nightwing?"

"Mind if I have a seat? I sent by bike back to Bludhaven by air and took a long plane flight over here. I had a bad day yesterday and could really take a load off."

"Not here." Barry told him. "There is a coffee shop nearby. The upstairs area is hardly used this time of day. We can go there."

Barry said nothing else, just walked out, wondering what the hell Dick Grayson, underwear model and vigilante with alien tech, would have flown all the way to Central City for. Maybe to warn him off? Unless he developed super speed in the last 24 hours, the Flash wasn't worried. After Zoom not much worried him.

The two walked in silence, Barry focusing on what was in front of him and Dick taking it all in. Nightwing had been everywhere it seemed, except Central and Star City. Those were the two they all stayed out of. Bruce asked Kara to stay out of Central City and she told him to stay out of Star City.

Kara never said why she wanted Bruce out of Star City. She had no problem helping, even if she had never actually worked with the Arrow. She had recovered many of the bodies after the so-called Undertaking and had been back a year later to take out most of those super strong mad men that had invaded the city. He had no idea where the Arrow was in either of those events. Dick knew Kara was on the streets protecting citizens and didn't have much problem taking out the masked soldiers. No problem really. Due to the media running as far away as possible, he imagined she let loose on a few. Quite a few were taken in by police with kneecaps burned, and tendons crushed. The few times he asked about the Arrow, Kara was dismissive at first but a few months ago had a definite distaste for the man when asked, bordering on hate.

Once they had reached Jitters, Barry continued to walk upstairs. Seeing a few tables were occupied downstairs, he walked onto the thankfully empty balcony and had a seat at a table. Dick sat across from him.

"So what can I do for you?" the Flash started. Of all the things he expected today, mostly working and over analyzing text messages, he had not expected this.

"Uh…this is…I came to apologize."

"Apologize?" Barry asked doubtfully. He couldn't imagine the Batman or Alex apologizing.

"Yeah, she wouldn't really let me apologize to her, but I told her I would make it right… see here is the thing, I love Kara. I have loved her from the first time I laid eyes on her."

Barry smiled a bit.

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

"But she doesn't love me. She never has. I think she used to like me, but I kind of destroyed that yesterday. I told her I would make it right and I need to."

"Oh yeah? What did you do? I assume she did that to your face?" Barry guessed.

"She didn't even use her powers. She is a better fighter than I am and that is hard to admit. I may have insinuated yesterday that there was something going on between us."

Barry said nothing for a moment, the waitress walking over and taking his order. Dick declined any coffee.

"Yeah you did. What you and Kara are or aren't isn't my business." he told him.

"Maybe not, but I…I panicked. I always thought if I loved her enough she would love me. If I gave her space, she would want me near. If I was near she would not want me to leave. None of those things ever happened. She doesn't love me, never has. I panicked because in the six years I have known her, I have seen a lot of emotions cross her face, but I have never seen her look at anyone the way she looked at you."

Barry sat still, not knowing what to say. Dick sat, waiting on him, to say something, anything.

"I…don't understand. If you love her why are you telling me this?"

"Because I love her. I want her happy. Even if it means that isn't with me. Kara is…obsessive about her family. They are everything to her. She would do anything to protect them and I do mean anything. I won't tell you her story. It isn't mine to tell, but I will tell you that outside of her family and a few friends, she has never connected with anyone, not romantically or otherwise."

"So what are you?" he asked. "Are you part of that family?"

"I'm nothing to her. Yes, we have been together before, but you know how this life is. People like us, finding someone who can understand can be difficult. It's easier to find someone who kind of understands and forget for a while. Alex told me about you once, a couple years ago at a bad time for all of us. Even Batman was scared and that doesn't happen often. Alex told me that there was only one guy she ever could have seen Kara loving. It was you. Everything she gave up becoming Supergirl, you were the one that hurt her the most."

Barry said nothing for a while, the waitress bringing his Cappuccino in the silence. He took a few small sips, looking out over the scene below, the people walking on the sidewalk, having so many worries, so many problems. but none of them had the problems he and others like him had. If they had a bad day, people died, the world ended, any number of things could go wrong and none of the results were good. He protected this city. Kara protected the world. The pressure she felt every day, he could understand the need to escape.

"You came all this way to tell me you and Kara were nothing? Why? Just to make it right to her? Did she ask you too?"

Dick shook his head and looked at the table.

"I have done some hard things in life. I have taken beatings, been nearly killed too many times to count. This is probably the hardest thing I have ever done. Don't stay away because of my big mouth. Go after her. She hasn't had the easiest life. She deserves all the happiness she can get. It won't be easy, but she is so worth it."

To say Barry was shocked was an understatement. The pain on the man's face, even under the bruises, he could tell this was killing Dick Grayson to say.

"I'll leave you alone, go back where I belong. I just had to make sure…I didn't want you to get the idea that we were more than what we were. Not because I was stupid. Take care Barry Allen. Maybe we can work together one day. It would be an honor."

Dick Grayson stood up and placed a $10 bill on the table and a card with a number on it. "On me, for taking up your time. Just one more thing. My parents, they were murdered when I was 12. I don't know what you are feeling, but I have an idea. If you ever need to talk, give me a call. I hope maybe one day you can consider me a friend."

Barry watched Dick Grayson walking away. He never turned back, just kept his head down. The hurt in the man's voice had been obvious and he had been telling the truth.

She didn't love him.

Barry went back to work, a lot on his mind. He may have not noticed but Joe caught the smile on his face as he walked through the station. The man went back to his report, thinking whatever had happened, maybe Barry would do the smart thing now.

 **National City**

"Why the hell did I have to come to this thing?" Alex asked. She hated events like this, hated wearing evening dresses, wasn't a fan of museums or charity events. Kara knew all this and dragged her here anyway.

"Because I hate these things and everyone who hates me is in this room. Namely Lex Luthor and Max Lord."

"And you need someone to keep you calm." Alex concluded.

"I need you to keep me calm. Remind me of all the reasons I shouldn't kill them."

"Because you are better than they are." her sister reminded her.

"If you say so." Kara mumbled. "That dress looks great on you."

"You aren't so bad yourself. I like the hair shade. That auburn color always goes great with green eyes."

As much as Alex claimed to have hated events like this, she did enjoy wearing her strapless black dress. Kara's tight red halter dress was more conservative but not by much. Jeremiah told her often he missed the days she hated to wear tight jeans or a swimsuit. Kara told him often she had gotten over it. When on Earth and all that.

"Did Cameron let you know if she made it to Metropolis safely?" the blonde asked cautiously.

"Yep." Alex told Kara what she responded with. It was nothing that could be said in polite conversation.

"At least you are taking the high road." Kara told her approvingly. Cameron had played with Alex's emotions for the last time. She had always known what and who Alex was. She was one of the few at the DEO who knew of Alex's late-night activities. Cameron Chase knew exactly what being with her sister meant. The constant fighting had to end sooner or later. Kara liked Cameron in the beginning. She even encouraged Alex to move in with her to save or take their relationship to the next level. The blonde was convinced she was holding Alex back. Instead it had been Cameron in her opinion. Yes, Alex may have not been the perfect partner, being gone quite a bit, but Cameron could have been with them. It was not like they didn't invite her.

Kara had a feeling this time it was over. For good she hoped. There had to be someone out there who could take Alex as she was, crime fighting, alien fighting and all.

"Did you talk to Barry today?"

Kara looked over the crowd, smiling, trying to blend into the background as always. Should she answer? If she did, it would be like giving a pit bull a bone or Streaky an unscratched couch.

"Yes. We messaged each other last night. He called me this afternoon. I was afraid he would think…he never asked about Dick…"

"I hope not, the two of you haven't had a date in six years." Alex told her, trying to hide a smile.

Kara did not find it amusing.

"Sorry Blondie. No matter how long we have known him, I am never going to stop joking about his name. It just isn't possible."

"Whatever. Anyway he called me this afternoon. He asked to see me tonight."

That caught Alex's attention. Barry Allen was bolder than she thought. She was afraid Grayson might have put him off with his big mouth.

"Are you? Going to see him?"

Kara shook her head. "I wanted to, I told him I did but I had to be here. Cat insisted I come to this charity gala. It's ridiculous. She doesn't need an assistant at a party."

"She probably wants you to get out into humanity not wearing a skirt and cape." Alex guessed. Cat Grant had developed an annoying mother hen complex over Kara. It was nice to have a media mogul propping them up, keeping the Government wolves at bay and a boss who understood Kara's need to disappear often, so the woman's pushiness was worth putting up with. For some reason Alex could not understand, Kara liked her. "How is the new assistant?"

"Rude, cold and constantly looks like people are dirt she has to wade through. I kind of like her. Damn it, Cat just whispered my name…what the hell is he doing here?"

Kara walked slowly towards her boss, circling the room, still avoiding being in the middle of the crowd. She did not mind being surrounded by people as Supergirl, but Kara Danvers still did not like crowds. College had been a hellish experience only Jessica knew about. The girl had told her parents she was fine and over the years became a good enough actress that they believed her.

Kara schooled her face and planted a bright smile on it, walking up to Miss Grant and the gentleman she was chatting up.

"Kara, there you are. Have you ever met Bruce Wayne?"

Kara looked at the man, who stood there in a tuxedo and a devious grin on his face.

"No, I haven't had the pleasure."

"Bruce, this is my assistant, Kara."

"A pleasure to meet you, Kiera."

"Kara." she corrected, finding it more difficult to keep her smile in place.

"Of course it is." he told her with a wink. She had a sudden desire to take his bow tie and strangle him.

"Bruce will be sending some papers over tomorrow that need your immediate attention. He is generously donating to Catco's charity organization. As soon as you receive them, bring them to me immediately. I want Mr. Wayne's generosity well publicized."

"Of course, Miss Grant."

"Now this is the charity Supergirl fronts, right?" Wayne asked Cat.

"One and the same." she assured him. "Her involvement is kept discreet of course. She doesn't like attention."

"Ah yes. She is subtle flying around in her red and blue outfit. Kiera, could you get me a drink?"

Kara gritted her teeth, telling herself repeatedly that she could not put her fist through his chest. At least in public.

"I believe there are waiters around."

"He doesn't want to wait to for one. Get the man a drink." Cat ordered, stars in her eyes, while Kara tried not to vomit.

Walking off quickly, having no choice but to walk through the crowd, within inches of Lex Luthor. She had seen him a few times in person in the past at functions like this and every time her mind took her back to that night in his bedroom, standing in the back while he was being tortured. Even through the pain he was laughing about her, how easy she was to manipulate, how he wanted her, how he would kill Barry Allen and blame it on the DEO, so she would only trust him. It still made her sick to think about.

Reaching the bar, she found a very amused Alex.

"He is making you get him a drink, isn't he?"

"Yep."

"You are going to spit in it, aren't you?"

"A few times." Kara admitted.

"Great. I am out of here. Sorry sis, but this is boring. J'onn just sent a text reporting a possible crash site. Me and the boy band are checking it out. No hostiles according to the satellite but if there is another player we need to know."

"Call me immediately if you see anyone, wear your black bodysuit…"

"Kara, I got this. Have fun."

Alex left, abandoning her sister among the social elite of National City and beyond. She had Kelex spying on Luthor all the time and knew he was visiting his sister Lena and accepted an invite since he was in the city. The man did enjoy good press. It was such a heartwarming story. Lex continuing at such a young age after the tragic suicide of his father. Of course Kara knew he killed his father, but she had nothing to prove it. Her supercomputer and Bruce's Brother Eye had been watching the Congo for village raids and had all resources pointed there, scanning the dense jungle. It frustrated her, but she knew it was a matter of time. One day he would make a mistake and she would take him down.

Avoiding the man, but still having to push her way through the crowd, she arrived back to find Bruce still chatting up Cat Grant.

"Here is your drink, Mr. Wayne. I hope you like it. I made sure it was just perfect. I gave it the attention a man like you deserves."

Bruce took the glass and looked at it closely. He looked back up at Kara who had a large smile on her face.

"Thank you, uh…Kara."

Kara did not say a word.

"I appreciate it. I should have just…"

"Please drink up, Mr. Wayne. I made sure the bartender used the best Scotch. If it isn't to your liking I will be glad to get you something else."

"Oh, of course."

Bruce carefully took a sip, eyes never leaving Kara, whose smile never left her face.

"C'mon Mr. Wayne. You can't tell if it's perfect with that small of a sip. Take a drink. Or is it too strong for you?"

"Kara don't be ridiculous. If anyone knows good Scotch, it is Bruce Wayne." Cat scolded.

Bruce swallowed hard and then took a drink.

He knew.

"It certainly tastes like top shelf. Only a bit…different."

"Would you like me to get you another drink?" she offered.

"No! No, I am good."

"Then I will leave you and Miss Grant, and I promise I will give those papers my personal attention."

Kara walked off, satisfied. She hoped Cat encouraged him to drink the whole thing, wanting to get him drunk. Kara nearly asked the concierge for her bag. She had a flask inside that contained her version of top shelf and surrounded by the number of scum in this place she could really use a few drinks, plus her hands were beginning to shake.

She decided it was worth it. If a meta or alien attacked the city, she could still handle it. She always had. If she saw three aliens, she simply hit the one in the middle. If Alex wore her black body suit under her uniform and kept her tactical helmet on, no alien would be able to kill her in the field tonight. She would have time to call for Kara.

Plus Kelex was watching and would alert her of any life forms around her sister.

Moving quickly, she grabbed a glass from a waiter passing by, emptied it in a plant and discreetly poured her own.

It was during her fourth drink that she began to relax. The shaking had stopped but perhaps it had been too much because she was certain she was seeing things.

A man resembling Barry Allen in a tuxedo just walked into the gallery.

No, it was Barry Allen.

Kara put her glass down quickly, picked it up again and poured it in the potted plant so no humans would accidentally drink it. She then moved quickly through the crowd, which had stopped bothering her after the second drink and approached Barry. She desperately hoped he couldn't smell the alcohol on her breath.

"Barry?"

"Hey." he greeted her shyly. "Wow. You look…amazing."

Despite her slightly relaxed state she still blushed. She hadn't blushed in a very long time. What was wrong with her?

"Thanks…please tell me you did not spend a $1000 to get into this … yeah, this thing."

"Nope." he assured her. "I rented a tux and used amazing speed to avoid the door men. Really easy. I hope you don't mind. You had said you wanted to get together, but you had this thing going on and I thought maybe…if you are working I can leave. I just didn't know how busy you were."

Kara shook her head, wondering if something had been added to her whiskey. This couldn't be real.

"You ran from Central City, rented a tux and snuck in here just to see me?"

Barry rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah…I guess I did. Is that okay? If it's not…"

"It's perfect. Let's get out of here. Give me one moment."

Kara moved quickly to Cat Grant who was still chatting Bruce Wayne up with stars in her eyes.

"Miss Grant, I need…"

"Kiera! We were just talking about Supergirl. Let's hear your opinion." Bruce asked. "I don't think Cat should actually call her Superwoman until she stops dressing like a generic cheerleader doll. What is your opinion? Girl sounds right, doesn't it?"

Kara was not in the mood for this, but Bruce had given her a great idea.

"I don't think she should be called a woman until she dresses like a flying rodent. Isn't that all the rage in Gotham? Miss Grant, I have an emergency I need to take care of immediately. See you in the morning."

Kara moved quickly, leaving the man and woman with open mouths, staring after her.

"Was that your boss?" Barry asked when the blonde returned.

"Yeah, Cat Grant. The guy with her is Bruce Wayne. Have you ever driven a Lamborghini?"

"No, why?"

Kara opened her fist. "Because I just lifted the keys to Mr. Wayne's rental and his valet ticket. We have to move fast. Shouldn't be a problem for us, right?"

Barry's eyes widened but he followed her out regardless. She was already talking to a valet.

"Yes, I am Cat Grant's assistant. He will be spending the night with her, if you know what I mean, and taking her limo to her residence. He wants me to take the car back to the rental agency."

The valet took the keys and the ticket, shrugged his shoulders, and walked off.

"Kara, are you sure this is a good idea? Isn't this car theft?"

"Big time. I do it all the time to him. If he wants me to keep working on his other cars, he won't complain."

"His other…"

Barry's confusion ended, awe taking its place. A blue Lamborghini Aventador was in front of him.

"Wow." he whispered.

"I know. Not as fast as we are but feeling the horse power is amazing. This is the third one I have stolen from him. You think he would learn by now."

"You are really going to steal Bruce Wayne's car?" he whispered.

"No, we are. I also spit in his drink. You don't want to know how many times I have done that."

"Why…how…how do you know Bruce Wayne?"

Kara looked at him and winked. "C'mon Barry, he knows your identity. It's only fair. I think we have a common acquaintance in Oliver Queen as well though the two of us are definitely not friends. The stick is tricky. Let me get it out of city limits and I can show you how it works. The stereo is amazing too."

"You mean Bruce Wayne is…wow."

The man said nothing else, crouching down to enter the passenger seat of the low car. Once he was buckled in, the car took off, tires squealing in the drive.

Barry noticed that Kara drove slowly in some areas and very fast in others.

"You are using your telescopic and X ray vision to look for cops, aren't you?" he guessed.

"Of course. How do you think I drive my bike so hard and never get pulled over?"

Barry looked at her, seeing the grin on her face. It was beautiful.

"I guess I didn't think about it. Back then, X ray vision never occurred to me."

He must have said the wrong thing because the grin left her face.

"I almost didn't recognize you. Your eyes and hair…that's a neat trick." he told her, hoping to get a smile back on her face. He also noticed she was wearing the necklace he gave her.

"Yeah, I have been full of neat tricks to hide who I was since I landed or crashed here. Kind of goes with the territory. I guess you want to know why I never told you. I wish I could have. I wanted to so many times. I am sorry I lied to you."

Barry shook that off.

"You didn't owe me anything, Kara. I understand. You really barely knew me."

Kara too her glasses off, blue eyes and blonde hair returning. She kept her yes on the road and saw no cops. Hitting the coastal road, she opened the car up, hitting 190, handling the vehicle with ease.

"You were looking for the impossible and I was standing right in front of you. I knew why you were looking. I guess you figured out the girl that was saved from the werewolf, that was me that saved her. The werewolf was actually a Vrang. I beat him to death." she admitted. There was no point in lying. She had lied enough to him.

"Okay," That caught Barry off guard. He had never seen her kill in public. Every story told, talked about Supergirl bringing the bad guys to justice.

"I know what you are thinking. I'm not exactly how the media portrays me. I'm…I've got issues."

"Who doesn't?" Barry countered, trying to laugh it off.

Kara took a deep breath, deciding not to pursue that. She didn't want to scare him off. Once again, Barry Allen had caught her by surprise and maybe she wouldn't have to cut him out of her life, at least parts of it.

"I never stopped looking. I always had this dream, a day dream really. I don't have nice dreams at night. But I always kind of daydreamed that one day I would find some alien that could turn into a ball of lightning. I would beat him until he confessed, and I could free your father. I never did of course, but I never stopped looking. I had Kelex research every species that could possibly do something like that, look like that, but he found nothing."

"You couldn't have found Thawne." Barry told her, touched that she had done that and wondering what or who a Kelex was.

"I know, but I still wanted to help you some way. I couldn't be near you, but I wanted…I just wanted to make your life better. Even after all this time, that weekend was the best of my life. I never felt so…free. For an entire weekend I didn't think about my Aunt or Rozz…I guess you don't know about that."

Barry didn't know about that. Rozz? She had an aunt? She never mentioned an aunt. Did she mean a Kryptonian aunt?

"You want to drive? We are on an open road. I can pull over and show you how the stick shift works. No cops for miles and miles. Just beach on one side and marsh on the other."

"Why don't you pull over next to a nice spot on the beach and maybe if you want, you can fill me in on what has been going on with you. The real story. If you want. If not or it's not my place…"

Kara put a hand on his leg to stop him speaking. He still felt a jolt of energy from her touch and his mind flashed back to that night in the restaurant, one hand in hers, one on her waist, dancing to You Look Wonderful Tonight and the touch of her lips. Despite being the girl of steel, her lips had been so soft.

"I can't tell you everything about me. I will tell you everything that happened but…there are things I am not ready to tell you about, things about what…why…just things."

Kara thought of everything he didn't want him to know. Self-harm, panic attacks, suicide attempts, depression, bouts of blind rage, casual sex with a vigilante, blacking out from drinking, other substances she used and murder. Kara did not lie to herself. She killed at times that she did not have to. If a Fort Rozz escapee came after her and she was alone, no one watching, she fought with the intent to kill.

"I'm not saying I will never tell you. Just not…now."

"I'm not pushing, Kara." Barry assured her, wondering how bad it could be. He knew she must have a lot of stress in her life. He did after two years and she had been saving the world for six.

Kara drove for a few more minutes and Barry relaxed, enjoying the feel of the power in the car. He also noted Kara was driving at 210 miles per hour.

Eventually she somewhat reluctantly pulled over onto a curb. He carefully got out, bumping his head on the low car and moved towards the beach where Kara had already claimed a spot in the sand. He sat next to her and waited, not sure if he should talk first or let her. She made the decision for him.

"So my cousin and I landed when I was 13. He was 1. The media doesn't know about him. Alex's parents adopted us, and they became my parents. Alex…when I first arrived some helicopters showed up. I heard them coming and I ran. I ran with Clark across the United States. I got shot, attacked by a bear, stole food, slept under trees, stole clothes. It was hell when I first landed. I made it from the West Coast to Midvale, North Carolina. That is when I discovered the ocean was really big."

Barry thought of laughing at her small joke but couldn't. He didn't know she had a cousin that came with her, especially one so young.

"I found a cave, a small cave near the shore. It was enough to keep us from the weather and hide for a while from humans. That is when Alex found me."

"Alex found you?"

"Yep. Mom had made her go bird watching. She saw us walk into the cave. Alex…she kept me hid. We didn't speak the same language, but we still communicated. She took care of us, kept us hidden, brought us food and clothes, snuck us in to her house to use her bathroom. I didn't want to be around her parents. I was afraid they would call somebody and the men in helicopters would find us. I was already strong, but Clark was just a baby. He didn't have my powers. I had a hard enough time with the hearing and smell and seeing through things, then my heat vision kicked in when I became scared, really scared. I think I stayed in a constant state of fear for years."

Barry watched her closely. She was talking to him, but her eyes were on the stars. Her legs were stretched out and crossed in front of her, but he was not fooled. She may have looked relaxed but wasn't. She was nervous.

"I uh…eventually I met her parents and they took me and Clark in, gave us food, a home, love. The men you met in National City, Dante anyway, they worked for a Martian, if you can believe it."

"A Martian?" Barry asked. He wasn't sure why he should be surprised, and yet he was.

"Yeah, this Martian helped aliens who landed on Earth to hide. They found me and helped us out a lot. They gave Mom and Dad legal IDs for us, adoption papers, histories. Dante, the guy you stayed with, is the one who trained me. It started as just learning to control my heat vision, but it became more. I made it more."

"Why?" he asked. A 13-year-old girl on the run on a strange planet and she wanted to learn how to fight? Survival of course, but Kara obviously took it farther than survival. Everyone in the world had seen her fight at one time or another. He doubted Oliver could take her even without her powers.

"Because of my aunt, my mother's twin sister and my uncle. A Kryptonian prison crashed onto Earth. She was looking for me. I figured out that she must have been in the prison. I was scared. I was always scared that we would be found. She would have killed Mom and Dad, Alex, probably Clark. Her husband hated me. My mother was the judge who sentenced all those prisoners. If they ever found us I would have lost another family. I couldn't let that happen."

Barry sat still, engrossed in what she was telling him. Kara told him of Fort Rozz, the years of training her and Alex put in, the search for the Myriad base and Kara killing her aunt. She spoke of this flatly, admitting plainly that she fought her aunt and snapped her neck. She told him about meeting Batman and Robin or the man who would become Nightwing. She finished with her fight at Fort Rozz and killing Non while Alex took out a living computer.

Barry tried to digest it all, everything she had gone through. Humanity could have been killed off but wasn't because an unlikely team of people saved it by raiding an alien ship under Lake Huron of all places.

She had to kill her mother's twin sister, the aunt she loved.

Kara remained staring at the stars, hoping he wouldn't ask to leave, run off, or worse in her mind, ask about why Krypton was destroyed. She didn't have it in her to explain that her family was the reason the planet exploded, that her mother was involved in a cover up just to guarantee her safety, never telling Kara what was going on. She couldn't admit that her other uncle, one she hated perhaps was much as Non, had used his child, her little brother now, to smuggle the Codex off the planet. One day perhaps, but not tonight.

"So you saved all human race from extinction and no one ever knew."

"We saved the human race." Kara corrected. "That was a big-time team effort. I would have never succeeded on my own. Since then, Alex and I continue to try and do good. I've had specially built weapons and suits made for her. The design of her hover jet was mine and Bruce and I made it in his man cave. It is pretty loaded for war, too. We try and make the world a better place, just like you do. Alex prefers to stay in the background, while I am the public face of our crusade."

"Yeah, I kind of got that. I've seen her fight metas and aliens. They never expect her, focusing on you."

Barry wished he had someone like that. Maybe Cisco might one day, but he doubted it would be anytime soon.

"That's the idea. There is something else I want you to know. Grayson…Nightwing, he and I aren't…together. I guess you know what happens between us now and then, but we are not together. I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse, but it is what it is. I ended it with him, not that there was much to end, anything really. I just told him to never come back… I…"

"Hey," Barry stopped her. "Number one, you don't owe me an explanation. You don't owe me anything and I don't judge. What has happened in your life is your business. Also, he came to Central City today, visited me at work."

Kara clenched her fists, and drew up her knees, wrapping her arms around them.

"What…what did he say?"

"Basically that you don't love him, and I would be an idiot not to try and be with you. I don't expect anything. I am just glad that I have gotten a chance to see you again, to have you back in my life, in any kind of way you will let me. Even if it is just nights hanging out, stealing extremely expensive sports cars. Maybe you can tell me how you know Oliver one day?"

"Yeah, maybe." Kara told him, her mind on Dick Grayson going to Central City. "But it is complicated, and he isn't exactly someone I consider a friend. Honestly, I sort of hate him. We had a disagreement on how to deal with someone and he knew he can't stop me. I was furious... I will tell you one day. Just do me a favor and don't ask him about me. I know you two are probably good friends. Oliver wouldn't have worked with you in the past if you weren't."

The two sat in silence, watching the stars. Barry briefly wondered if she could see the sun that Krypton orbited around but decided it was best not to ask. She had told him more than he expected tonight, and he didn't want to push his luck. After a few minutes of silence, he decided he really didn't want to go back to Central City tonight.

"I don't suppose Dante still lives in the same apartment?"

Kara shook her head.

"He went back to Arizona I think. Connolly and the rest of his guys are still around, still helping. Alex still mainly works with them on missions. I haven't seen Dante in a couple years. After… yeah, it's been a while. He left shortly after I… I haven't talked to him in a long time."

"Oh." Barry said, surprised and a bit disappointed. He wondered what could have made the obviously protective man leave Kara's side. "Do any of the other guys live nearby? Maybe I could crash if they don't mind. If not, I can run back to Central City. It's no big deal."

Kara could have told him quite a few places to stay, He would probably love to see her parents beach house and the view or even Connolly's next to theirs. Instead she made the offer without thinking about it before she could talk herself out of it.

"I still have a couch. Alex moved back in two days ago, so it's just the two of us. It's not much, but you are more than welcome to it."

Barry was surprised, figuring she wouldn't be comfortable with that. He didn't hesitate to take the offer.

"That would be great, if you don't mind. I left the bag with my suit on top of your building. It seemed the safest place. I brought some clothes in case Dante still lived there. You sure you don't mind?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "It's gonna cost you."

The man smiled, wondering what it is she could want that he wouldn't possibly give to spend more time with her.

"Name your price."

"One chocolate malt for and maybe a banana split with fudge for lunch. I still go by myself to the ice cream shop we had our first…I guess we can call it date?"

"Yeah, I've been waiting six years to go back to that ice cream shop. Sounds like I have date with your couch tonight." he agreed.

"Yeah, but first I need to show you how to drive that car. It's an experience you can't miss. We can see how fast you really are."

"Driving a stolen Lamborghini. Does this count as our fourth date?"

"Yeah, I guess it does." Kara told him. "Maybe I can come to Central City for our fifth."

"I would love that. Okay, show me how to drive a stolen car. Just give me a heads up if you see any cops."

"Don't worry, Barry. I'll be watching out for you now."

Barry stood up and offered his hand to help her up, even though she really didn't need any help. Once again, he felt that electricity when he touched her, marveled at the softness of her skin and loved the way the moonlight reflected off her gold necklace.


	4. Chapter 4

**Do not own CW or DC characters.**

 **Chapter 4 Alex meets Kara's BFF**

"So tomorrow is the day. It's been two years." Jessica started.

"I don't want to talk about that." Kara told her, as she always did when the subject was brought up. This time Jess gave her a different answer.

"I have always let you take the lead in our sessions, Kara. But this time, we are going to talk about it. We are going to talk about it often and especially on anniversaries." her long-time therapist told her.

Kara had enjoyed the weekend, Barry stayed till Sunday, spending Saturday night on the couch as well. Alex discreetly slipped out often, but neither made a move. Kara wasn't sure how forward she should be, and Barry was no better. They watched movies, ate a lot and laughed a lot, explored National City and had a great time. She felt wonderful.

But Barry was gone now, and Kara was back to reality. Reality included training her substitute assistant, smiling all day while wishing she was anywhere else, hoping something would require her attention that did not involve danger to people, and therapy. Always therapy. No matter how much fun she had this weekend, therapy reminded her that she was not okay, not even close.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Are you going to the cemetery tomorrow?"

Kara thought about it. She still visited the cemetery in Midvale every year on the date…on that date. Last year she had visited the cemetery in a small town near National City on a different date, tomorrow's date and afterward drank so much she passed out at the bar on a table. One alien attempted to take a shot at the Champion of Earth while she was unconscious. His legs were broken by J'onn Jonzz, who carried Kara home.

"Yeah, probably." the blonde admitted.

"I don't think you should. It's time to stop. Stop going to the cemetery in Midvale and stop going to that cemetery. You have got to stop punishing yourself for things that aren't your fault. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for your family."

"Don't bring them into this." Kara warned her.

"Why not? Do you think they deserve to constantly worry you are going to slit your wrists again? They are tense right now. Eliza hasn't been sleeping. She is the one who found you. You don't think that sight will haunt her forever?"

"I know it will. Thanks for the reminder. I get it, I screwed up."

It had been two years now. Two years since it happened.

Kara and Alex had been relaxing, watching movies. Nothing had occurred that night that required their attention, so they vowed nothing short of an invasion would drag them away from the loft.

An hour past midnight, Kara heard it. She always tried to drown out noises when watching television but this one for some reason slipped through. It was a car wreck, nothing unusual. Accidents happened every day in and around National City.

This one was different. She heard the car strike a pole and she heard a baby cry. She heard a woman cry. She was taken back to that wreck when she was thirteen, when she watched a mother and child die, because she did not know what to do, wasn't fast enough, or smart enough to save them all without exposing herself. She barely saved Alex from being killed by a piece of metal in the explosion.

Kara normally hated to fly out her window. She did not like taking a chance of people seeing her entering and leaving, preferring to take off from the roof or run down the street into an alley and take off.

This time she did not even waste the time to change. The girl shot through the window, shattering the glass and surprising the hell out of Alex, who had no clue what was going on.

Kara flew fast, not going high, just streaking over the streets until she made her way outside of the city. She had flown six miles in under a minute, including the twists and turns around the city skyscrapers. When she arrived near the scene, a fire truck was coming but at least a mile away. That was when she heard the crackle of electricity. She could see and smell the gasoline.

Supergirl swooped in but it was too late. The power line ignited the gas and the car exploded, literally in her face. She used her freeze breath, dousing the flames immediately but it was too late. She looked inside the car and saw the bodies. The explosion had made death instantaneous. The charred bodies, the woman reaching for her child, took her back to that day on the beach.

Kara stepped back, her shirt nearly torn off by the explosion and on fire. She never moved, never stopped looking at the bodies. She didn't notice a fireman putting a jacket over her but did hear the Captain telling her she had done the best she could.

But in her mind, it wasn't the best she could do. Once again, a mother and child had died in an explosion she was too slow to stop. She was given a second chance and failed again.

The blonde stayed until the bodies were taken out by the fire department. Finally a voice broke through, a female firefighter handing her a fire department t shirt and asking her if she would like to sit down. Kara shook her head, took the shirt, handed her the coat back and took off into the sky.

She arrived home an hour later after flying with no direction. Alex of course, was worried but Kara lied to her, told her there had been an apartment fire and she had gotten everyone out. Avoiding the other questions, the blonde tore her remaining clothes off, placed them in a trash bag then walked straight to the shower. She lay in bed all night, unable to sleep, the faces of both the mothers and babies flashing through her head.

That morning when none of the Danvers saw any reports of a fire, Eliza tried to call Kara. Getting no answer, she checked with Kelex who told her that all of Kara's suits were at her residence. Eliza used her key to enter the loft when no one answered the door. She had seen Kara's bike in the garage. If she wasn't flying or riding her bike she was home.

Calling out and not getting an answer, she did hear Streaky scratching on the bathroom door. When she opened it the woman screamed. Kara was lying unconscious in the red lit room, a straight razor in one hand and both wrists cut with a large pool of blood under her.

Shattering the light bulb, she held onto her daughter's wrists, putting as much pressure as she could on the wounds, hoping with the red light gone, Kara would heal.

Kara did heal, but she had lost blood, a lot of blood. Calling Jeremiah frantically, he, Connolly and Dante arrived, wrapping Kara in a blanket and carrying her to the car for transportation downtown.

Luckily for Kara, Jeremiah had insisted she provide pints of her own blood in the event she ever needed a blood transfusion in the future.

Though it required brief periods of red sunlight for the IV, it worked, and her blood pressure rose. Eventually she woke nearly catatonic and refusing to speak.

Kara was kept in the DEO red sun room under suicide watch for the next thirty days. The public wondered if Supergirl had died. Max Lord shouted to anyone who would listen that she was not reliable, and humans could not count on her. Cat Grant launched a manhunt to find her.

After thirty days, Jessica deemed her stable enough to be taken to Jeremiah and Eliza's house. Clark was never told what exactly happened, but he had heard enough.

Kara stayed at her parents for three months, wearing a red sun bracelet so she would not fly off, being watched always and every sharp object in the house removed.

That was two years ago. She burst back on the public scene during a bank robbery with no explanation for where she had been or what she had been doing. Not even Cat Grant could get it out of her. As far as the public was concerned, they had their hero back, bright blonde hair, perfect gleaming smile and beautiful blue eyes. No one knew that she had spent much of the past few months refusing to get out of bed for weeks, refusing food.

"I am glad you know. But you have got to stop going to these …I have always given you space. If you wanted to visit the graves of people who died through no fault of your own, I told them to give you space. It was your way of dealing with it. But last year you could have been killed, passed out in that bar. You are lucky J'onn was following you. Do not go to that cemetery tomorrow."

"It's my business."

"No, your actions affect everyone who loves you, everyone who has supported you, cared for you. You always tell me how much you owe them, so prove it. Stop putting them through hell. Do not go to that cemetery tomorrow."

Kara said nothing, keeping her face blank. It was a technique she had perfected when she didn't want to talk about something with Jessica. It drove the woman crazy. Kara would simply agree and then do whatever the hell she wanted.

"Anything else, boss?"

"Don't play that game, Kara. Your parents, sister and brother don't deserve it. You may feel that you do, but they don't."

Jessica took a deep breath. At times she had been supportive, understanding, encouraging. Other times she had to be direct with Kara. She had been her therapist for nearly eleven years and knew every one of her tells, her moods, her lies and half-truths.

"Okay, how was your weekend? Let's talk about Barry Allen. How do you feel about everything that has happened? I understand you beat the hell out of Dick Grayson. It's about time."

"What do you have against him?"

"The same thing I have against straight razors and alcohol. They are all things you use to either punish yourself or avoid your problems."

Kara stood up and walked to the window in the living room, taking in the ocean as the sun set. She always loved the water. It was something she could never enjoy on Krypton. To the left, only a few hundred feet away was her parents' house. In front of their house was the spot she killed Astra and detonated Kryptonite bombs over herself and Non's army. The girl refused to have therapy at the DEO and Clark was home, but Jeremiah made him swear not to listen. Being in Jessica's made sense since Alex needed time to finish her move back home.

"Being with Barry was good. I remembered why I loved being around him before, even if we were only texting or calling. He is funny, sweet…and hurt. His Dad was murdered by Zoom. I could have stopped that monster. I never should have listened to Batman. If I would have handled it, his father would still be alive."

"Maybe, or maybe you would be dead. Either way he could have called you, contacted you. He didn't want you involved. That isn't your fault. It isn't his. These are weird times, Kara. When I told you at 18, that you would change everything, and the world would never be the same, I never imagined all this."

"Yeah, me either." Kara admitted.

"Did you drink this weekend?" Jessica asked, standing up and walking to the window beside her.

"Only a few. What's the big deal? I am over the legal drinking age. I didn't get drunk."

Jessica listened to her carefully. A session with Kara always included half-truths.

"Did you drink after he fell asleep?"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders.

"I needed to sleep. I didn't want him to see me tired. I just had a few to help me rest. No big deal. It helps with the nightmares. I didn't want him to hear me scream."

"Okay. Can you remember the last day that you had no alcohol?"

Kara said nothing. No, she could not remember. It didn't matter because she did not always get drunk. Usually just a few to take the edge off.

"Do you remember the last day you had no alcohol?" the girl countered.

"I remember the last alcohol I had was last Wednesday. I had a glass of wine with dinner. Your turn."

"I don't know, okay? I don't get drunk every night or anything. Sometimes it makes things easier to handle."

"How long?"

"I don't know!" Kara practically shouted, turning around and walking back to the couch.

Jessica took her in, the way she looked to the right side and crossed her arms, eyes darting all around, almost as if she expected to be attacked at any time. She had always done this. If Kara hurt herself, she assumed this posture. It was the way she expressed shame. She became defensive, folded into herself.

"Kara, I know you talked about giving this up when you turned 30. Maybe…maybe you should do it now. The red crystal Kelex formed, Jeremiah is studying where the safest place to implant it is. I think this is a bad idea and so does he…"

"I don't want to wear a necklace or bracelet for the rest of my life. When I give it up I want these powers gone, for good."

"I can understand that. Jeremiah has been making progress. I think he already has it figured out to be honest, but he is very hesitant to tell you. Perhaps though, it is best to end this now. You are not handling what you see out there well."

"I've been handling it since I was 18…"

"No, you haven't,"

"I can't give up now! Not until Clark, not until he can defend himself. I hope he never becomes this, but if the world ever finds out about him they will attempt to kill him before he comes fully into his powers. If other aliens find out about him, I am the only thing standing between him and them. When he is strong enough to at least protect himself, when I know he can fight and cannot be harmed, then I will give it up. You think I don't want to?"

"I think you have been punishing yourself for surviving since you landed on this Earth. Despite the years of our sessions you have never stopped. When will you figure out that everything isn't your fault?"

"Maybe never, okay?" Kara told her, turning her back on her, the final moves the girl had in her arsenal.

"Look at me." Jess told her. Kara's head did pop up, but it wasn't because of any order Jessica gave her. She turned back towards her with a grin.

"We are going to have to cut our session short." she told her, almost smugly.

"Good, we can spend the evening together tomorrow. I have my whole night cleared. I'm thinking we can have some therapist patient bonding time."

"I'm busy tomorrow."

Jess shook her head and grinned herself.

"I know. As soon as you get off work, you will be here. Eliza is coming over and attempting to teach me how to make chicken carbonara. Since it is two-year anniversary of the worst day of her life, you get to be our test subject. Do I need to pick you up from work or will you be here?"

Kara glared at the woman, trying to keep her temper. She hated being manipulated and absolutely hated when her family was brought into it.

"Yeah, I guess I will."

"Excellent. Tomorrow we are also going to talk about you considering going to AA…"

"I have to go." the girl said quickly and ran out of the house in a blur. Jessica shook her head. She knew it would be hard when she accepted this job ten years ago. She never dreamed it would be this hard, but she couldn't, wouldn't give up. For better or worse, the Danvers had become her professional career, including keeping the most powerful woman on Earth safe from her greatest danger, herself.

Kara was relieved to be out of the house. Once she was free, she felt a weight lifted off her. She needed the sessions, recognized that she did, but that didn't make her hate them any less.

Now wasn't the time to worry about it. It was dark outside and once again her little brother was "lost."

She ran towards her annoyed father who was on the phone. Clark must have had an earpiece in and thankfully hadn't lost it in the water.

"Good evening, Daddy. What has the spoiled prince done this time?"

Jeremiah looked at her, very annoyed. Yes, Clark may have been spoiled a bit, but it wasn't that bad.

"He is…lost." the man admitted.

"What happened to only flying with Kara? He talked you into it, didn't he?"

Jeremiah smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's night time and no one was around. He promised not to go out far but apparently he went out far enough that he can't see the lights of the shore."

Kara rolled her eyes, knowing very well that Clark could see the shore from twenty miles away and Jeremiah knew it as well.

"I'll bring him back. Don't worry, your favorite will be here soon." she teased him.

"I love you all the same. Sorry to cut your session short."

'I'm not."

"That's the problem. Tomorrow…we are all going to be at Connolly's, Jess is trying to cook…"

"I was already told I would be there." she assured him and took off. Kara did not have to fly far. Only a mile out, Clark stood on air, arms crossed, just above the water line. Of course he had that mischievous grin she loved.

"Can't see the shore, huh? He knows you are lying. You are going to get grounded." she told him, standing in front of him on air. "Even if by some miracle you couldn't see the very bright lights of the houses, it's a clear night. Have you forgotten how to navigate by the stars?"

"Of course not. I am very good at navigating. I just figured you would want out of class early and we could play."

Kara shook her head, not surprised in the least. He did love to fly.

"I was sent to bring you back and face your grounding."

"I will bet you right now that I will not be grounded. Mom worries about me too much to ground me. She will probably give me some cookies."

Kara rolled her eyes once again at the spoiled brat. It was true, Eliza began babying him when he was a baby and never stopped.

"Where is your cape?"

"I don't need a cape. I don't knock down trees like somebody I heard about." he told her, smiling and trying to bait her.

"The cape helps you feel the wind currents better, make stops and turns easier."

"Don't need it." he challenged again.

"So you can handle high winds?"

"Yep, no problem."

Kara blew, not cold and not hard but hard enough, tumbling the boy end over end leading to him falling head first into the water. She floated above him as he popped to the surface.

"That was not funny!"

"See, from where I am at that was very funny. I suppose Obi Wan was right, it depends on your point of view."

Clark was full on pouting and seconds away from a classic I'll tell Mom.

"Help me up?" he asked, reaching for her hand. She had mercy and grabbed him. At that point she realized how much stronger he had gotten. Grabbing her arm with his other, he flipped and sent Kara into the water. She popped up immediately, spitting water out of her mouth.

"You brat! I like these jeans and my shoes and now…and… you are so getting it!"

Clark laughed and took off, skimming the surface of the water. No matter how much better he had gotten and faster as well, he was no match for his big sister. She tackled him from above and forced both under the water. Reaching the surface, they began a splash fight, that led to waves that could be surfed on.

Clark stopped her in mid splash, finger to his lips. Kara listened and knew what he had heard.

"Dolphins? Want to?"

"Of course." Kara answered. It was a game they played often, mostly when they were at the Fortress. There, as he had gotten a bit less sensitive to the bitter cold, the two would skim over the nearly frozen waters and touch the top of Orcas as they rose to the surface. A clean touch counted but not one hard enough to injure the mammal. Dolphins were a bit trickier, coming up more often and a bit faster than Orcas. Kara handled it with ease but missed often on purpose to keep the boy in the game. She even let him win a few times.

After thirty minutes of harassing dolphins, Kara followed the little boy home, so proud of him. When she was with Clark and they were like this, just the two of them, her problems floated away. Clark was probably the one who broke her out of her catatonic state while she spent three months with her Mom and Dad two years ago. She was sure he knew what had happened but never once asked her about it. Instead he sat by her bed every day and played board games against himself till Kara eventually began to play on one side. From that point he slowly introduced video games into his version of rehab. He was also the source of a lot of guilt. In a moment of weakness she had broken her promise to Alex to never leave her and tried to leave Clark defenseless against the world, having no one to guide him as his powers emerged.

The blonde shook her head, clearing away those thoughts. She did not like to think of that time or any of the other times she had driven Eliza and Jeremiah crazy with worry. Instead she would take Clark inside, listen to Eliza barely lecture the boy then scold Kara for blowing him into the water, and do his homework very fast so the two could play Legend of Zelda before he had to go to sleep.

Once they arrived on shore, Jeremiah stood with his arms crossed and a stern look as he tried to hide his smile. Eliza simply laughed and had two towels ready for them.

Kara ignored the shaking. It had been all day. She was not an alcoholic or an addict. Those were human conditions. She didn't play by human rules. She didn't need to breathe, she didn't need to eat and she definitely did not shake because she had gone the entire day without alcohol and desperately needed a drink.

"Come inside, Kara. I have some dry clothes for you." Eliza ordered.

"I'm good. I will dry out on the ride home."

"Come inside, Kara. I have some dry clothes for you."

"Guess I am doing inside." Kara mumbled, Clark laughing.

"Mom, I'm sorry I got lost. I just got turned around. I hope you aren't mad at me."

Eliza patted the boy on the back and rubbed his hair.

"Of course not. Jeremiah shouldn't have let you fly without Kara. You must be strong and not ask. He apparently can't make good decisions when it comes to you and flying."

Clark nodded his head seriously. "I won't ask him anymore. He didn't mean for me to get lost. Don't be too hard on him."

Jeremiah and Kara had stopped walking, Jeremiah's eyes wide and Kara looking at him with her arms crossed and a huge smile. The man shook off his irritation and followed the Mom and her baby into the house.

After Kara emerged from the bathroom, dry clothes and hair, Eliza and Jeremiah were waiting for her in the living room.

"Kara, tomorrow I am going to teach Jessica…"

"Yeah Mom. I heard."

"Then you know I will need you there to test out her cooking." Eliza told her, no room for argument.

"Yeah, so around 7?" Kara tried.

"I actually spoke to Cat Grant today who assured me you would be getting off at 5:30. Someone will be there to pick you up. Alex will drop you off at work in the morning. I'm thinking you can bring some clothes and spend the night here. After Clark goes to bed we are going to have a family session."

That would not do. One drawback of alien alcohol, any of it, was the smell. It wasn't traditional alcohol like humans drank, and the smell was hard to hide. She could slip away during work but she really needed a drink or maybe two to relax. If she couldn't take care of her yearly ritual and could not go to the bar afterward, she wasn't sure when… of course J'onn would be watching the bar.

"What do we need a family session for?"

Kara remembered the days when family session mean that she had hurt herself or done something equally self-destructing and "plans" were put in place to stop her from harming herself.

Jeremiah took a shot, figuring he would be the bad guy and let Eliza off the hook. "Because we still have them once a week. Clark has been wanting to join in and we need to discuss this as well. He is affected by everything…"

"If Clark comes to the meetings or hears anything that is discussed about me, I am never coming to another one again." Kara told him quickly.

"I understand that." Jeremiah assured her. "That is why we are going to talk about it, all of us, and look at this from all sides. But whatever decision we come to together, you will abide by."

Kara's good feeling earlier was gone. It was made worse by what Eliza said next.

"We also all need to discuss possibly attending AA meetings, maybe on an open night. I would be glad to go with you…"

"I am not an alcoholic!" Kara told both of them, wishing she had quieted and knowing Clark heard that.

"You are shaking." Jeremiah pointed out. "How long has it been, baby?"

"I need to go. Have work in the morning. Love you both."

Kara walked quickly outside to her bike before Eliza or Jeremiah could stop her or discuss the issue any longer. The idea of sitting inside a room in disguise surrounded by people she didn't know, was disturbing. She wouldn't do it. She didn't have a problem. Despite her desire to be human, she wasn't. The girl was just under a lot of pressure constantly. Hitting the road, she drove towards her loft, twenty minutes away, taking her time and in no hurry at all.

As it turned out, Kara probably should have been in a hurry.

Alex had just finished putting her clothes back in the closet, feeling a bit of relief that she was back in what she considered her home. Living with Cameron had been an experience and not always a pleasant one. She thought of relaxing in front of the TV while waiting for Kara to return but her plan was derailed when she heard a knock on the door. Kara wouldn't knock and no one had called or sent a text indicating they were visiting. That meant…any number of things and none of them could be good. Grabbing her Glock, the woman realized it could be an alien, trying to catch Kara off guard, not knowing about her X ray vision. It could be a shifter in human form, a White Martian trying to find J'onn and knowing of her connection to him. She placed the Glock back in the drawer and pulled what Kara lovingly referred to as her blaster and the hilt that expanded into her light staff.

"Who is it?"

"It's me. Can't you see through the door or is your vision failing? Perhaps you actually need those glasses now?"

Alex became even more tense. It was a female, that was evident but what did she want Kara for? Kara told her about her X Ray vision?

Alex opened the door quickly and aimed her gun.

Standing before her was a beautiful woman, bronze skinned, dark eyes and darker hair. She had a beautiful smile and seemed amused at Alex's weapon being aimed at her.

"I apologize. I thought Kara lived alone. I suppose you must be the sister I have heard so much about?"

The woman was dressed to kill, literally. She wore a black pant suit and blood red satin blouse underneath, but Alex could vaguely see the possible outline of a knife handle on her right side, under her jacket.

"Who are you?" Alex asked, backing up to give her space in the event the woman reached for the knife.

"I am Nyssa Raatko, a friend of your sister's."

"Kara doesn't do friends. I know everyone she knows and I don't know you."

"We keep our friendship discreet."

"She doesn't do discreet with me."

Nyssa smirked. "It would appear that is not true in this case. You weren't here when I visited last. You are Alex, correct? Kara told me you were beautiful but seeing you with my own eyes is a pleasure. Kara does not lie, at least to me. You are breathtaking."

"You are… not unattractive yourself." Alex admitted, focusing on watching this woman closely, for any movement and not just her face and body. If she turned out to be an enemy, Alex debated pinning her against a wall. For self-defense reasons of course.

"May I ask what sort of gun that is? I assume Kara had it made for you, or did you take it off a fallen foe? Of course, you are the one called Manhunter, correct? Kara does not trust many people. I have seen you in battle and have no doubt your impressive glowing staff is somewhere on you. Why else would you be wearing a jacket inside? Speaking of inside, may I enter? It is becoming awkward, standing in the hallway with a gun aimed at me and I know Kara's neighbor is a particularly curious type."

Alex backed up, using her free hand to gesture the woman in.

"Have a seat across from the couch and stay there."

To Alex's bewilderment, Streaky jumped onto Nyssa's lap as soon as she sat and began purring.

"Hello Streaky. Have you missed me? Darling creature, isn't she?" Nyssa asked.

"She likes to scratch couches. Don't move."

Alex walked quickly into the bedroom and grabbed her phone and a com. Stepping back into the room, she snapped a picture of this Nyssa on her phone to send to Kelex and perhaps to look at herself later.

"I hope you got my good side. Perhaps a few more? I don't mind." Nyssa told her, enjoying Alex's paranoia way too much.

"Kelex, who is she?"

"I told you I am Nyssa Raatko."

"She is telling the truth, Alex." Kelex confirmed. "Her name is Nyssa Raatko, alias Nyssa Al Ghul. She was the daughter of the leader of the League of Assassins, Ra's Al Ghul. Her father lost the title in a trial by combat and she is now the head of the League of Assassins. A.R.G.U.S. had a security alert placed on her. She is suspected of 18 assassinations in six different countries. The alert was the lifted three months ago as all information on her in their database was deleted."

"How was the information deleted?"

"I did it on Kara's command."

Alex shook her head, wondering what the hell else Kara had gotten involved in, since she moved out. Apparently, alcohol wasn't the only problem. League of Assassins?

"So this woman killed her father in a duel and took his place?"

"I am right here." Nyssa told her. "There is no need to ask Kelex. I will be glad to give you any information you want regarding my identity."

"How do you know his name is Kelex?" Alex caught immediately.

"You just said, Kelex who is she." Nyssa reminded her.

Oh yeah, was Alex's first thought.

"She did not kill her father." Kelex continued. "Her father was challenged to a duel by Kara. Kara killed her father and became the head of the League of Assassins. She then passed the mantle onto Nyssa under the agreement Nyssa would find Malcolm Merlyn and kill him."

Alex dropped her gun, trying to decide if she should put it away so she would have both hands to pull her hair and stymie the massive headache coming on, or keep the gun near because she was in the same room as a woman who was head of the League of Assassins!

"Damn it, Kara. Kelex, why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask."

"You didn't think this was something I should know about?!"

"The protocols you updated while Kara was unable to command the Fortress only instructed me to inform you if I suspected she planned to terminate herself. You said nothing about killing others. Perhaps if you would be more specific in your instructions I may have mentioned this to you. You were not, so I did not."

Alex sat on the couch, gun still in her hand but on her lap. She expected Kara to be home in the next hour and had no plans to call her so she could make up an emergency to avoid coming.

"Kara will be here soon. You are going to tell me everything."

"No, I won't. So if you have moved back in, does this mean Cameron Chase and you are no longer in a relationship? From what Kara has told me, I don't believe she was right for you. I hope I am not out of line for saying so."

Alex shook her head, trying to come to terms with this surreal experience.

"That is none of your…she told you about Cameron?"

"As I said we are good friends. I do not believe either of us have any other friends. You could say we understand each other."

"She killed your father."

"I am in her debt for that." Nyssa admitted, surprising Alex with her sincerity.

Alex stood up and walked behind the couch to provide cover if she needed it. Once there she raised her gun again.

"This gun can burn through a Khund's head. You will tell me everything my sister has been involved in or I will use it. League of Assassins or not, I doubt you are laser proof."

"But you might hit Streaky." Nyssa pointed out playfully, lifting the cat and placing her next to her cheek. Streaky's meow confirmed this. "Kara will be home soon. If you don't mind, and don't plan on shooting me, I would like to fix a drink. She usually keeps something here that won't kill me like that foul alcohol she drinks."

"I poured it all out. The foul alcohol and the rest." Alex told her. It was one of the first things she had done when Kara was gone.

"That was foolish. She will just buy more and you will have made her angrier. I have seen Kara angry. It is a night poor Oliver Queen will never forget and one I enjoyed immensely. It was the first time I met her and I knew we would be…what would Kara say? BFFs? Perhaps you have tea? Coffee? Anything would be fine."

Alex put her gun down and walked into the bedroom. Leaving it in the safe but keeping her baton, she went straight to the kitchen and began brewing coffee, trying to wrap her head around Kara not mentioning that she killed the leader of the League of Assassins and Oliver Queen was involved. She knew Kara and Oliver had a falling out but not over what. Kara had kept up with his murders early on with a bit of humor. Lately she could not stand him, even mentioned to Alex once that she wouldn't cry over his grave if he died. Thankfully, before the coffee had finished brewing, Kara walked in.

"You won't believe this! Jessica, Mom and Dad, they all think I should go to AA! It's ridiculous. Also I have to be under house arrest tomorrow night because they are afraid I will…Nyssa! Nyssa? Oh boy, this is so not good. Nyssa, you should have called. You really, really should have called."

"I was in the city. I have never called before. I did not see you flying about so guessed you might be home. Your beautiful sister has been keeping me very entertained." a very amused Nyssa told her. She had seen many emotions on Kara's face, her dry, black humor, her light-hearted playfulness, her rage and her coldness. Worried and slightly embarrassed were new ones.

"She took my picture and sent it to our friend Kelex." Nyssa added.

"Kelex? Alex, there is…this is…it sounds worse than it…I would have told you but you didn't need to get involved. It was…it's a funny story. Okay, it's not funny at all but there is a reason. I didn't lose my cool or anything…okay Oliver might say differently but honestly, he has no room to talk. I should have killed him for protecting Malcolm Merlyn after he told me he was dead but…I didn't. See? I didn't lose my cool. Nyssa…you can tell her. Nyssa is a friend of mine…"

"And the leader of the League of Assassins. Yes, I heard. Malcolm Merlyn? He was already dead, Kara." Alex reminded her.

"No he wasn't. I found proof and Oliver Queen confirmed it. Merlyn brainwashed Thea Queen into killing Sara Lance. Merlyn did this because the League was searching for him. The only chance he had was for Oliver to take the blame for Sara Lance's murder and fight Ra's. Ra's knew he didn't do it but didn't care. Oliver had to face Ra's to answer for Sara's killing."

Alex shook her head, desperately wishing she hadn't poured all the alcohol out.

"Why…that makes no sense. How…what the hell did you do while I was living with Cameron?! Damn it Kara! You tell me you can take care of yourself and you get involved with the League of Assassins! Malcolm Merlyn was dead! It's probably like that Harrison Wells thing! Maybe he was from some alternate universe!"

"No, he wasn't, Alex. Oliver thought he killed him while the Undertaking occurred. He was wrong. When he found out he was alive and Thea's father he stopped Nyssa from killing him. He had her locked in a cage in that damn hideout of his. They shot her with a tranquilizer! I found out when Kelex caught Merlyn on facial recognition at a hotel in Brazil. I crashed into Oliver's hideout so confront him, freed Nyssa, and then killed her father since he was only concerned with Queen. Oliver couldn't have beaten him so I did. Sara Lance was Nyssa's lover. She wanted revenge for her and I wanted revenge for the 503 people who died in the Undertaking! I pulled most of them out and couldn't recognize them, no one could! They were crushed, children, Alex! To do what she needed to do, her father had to go. Plus the man had wiped out cities for the past hundred and fifty years. She was good with it, I promise."

Alex and Kara stared at each other, saying nothing for a full minute before Nyssa cleared her throat to break up the awkward tension.

"I should probably be going. You two can work this out. Kara, if you would like to have lunch tomorrow, I have a few meetings in the morning but nothing in the afternoon."

"I'll text you."

"Of course. This has been an unforgettable evening. Alex, I do hope we meet again. I would love to get to know you better. If you would like to have dinner…"

"Nyssa." Kara stopped her, shaking her head. "So not the time."

"Of course. Good night."

"No! Wait! You are my friend! Yes, you can come with me tomorrow night. We are having a small dinner party."

"No, she can't. We have plans for after the dinner. Family business remember?"

"She is my friend and does not get to National City often. Plans can wait."

"She is the leader of the League of Assassins! You want to bring her to Mom and Dad's?!"

"She wouldn't hurt them. Nyssa isn't some serial killer. I told you, she is my friend!"

"Kara, call me tomorrow and let me know. If you wish me to be there I will. Alex, it has been lovely seeing you. I hope we can become good friends as well? Perhaps…"

"Nyssa." Kara reminded her. "Again, this is so not the time for you to be flirting. I will text you in the morning."

Nyssa gave one last smile and helped herself out, leaving the two sisters standing closely and staring at each other.

"I would really appreciate it if this could be one of those sister secrets we could keep to ourselves." Kara tried.

"Ha! You think I would tell Mom and Dad you were the head of the League of Assassins for five minutes? That you killed Ra's Al Ghul? I didn't know what a Ra's Al Ghul was ten minutes ago. I can't believe you didn't tell me this! We could have handled Merlyn together!"

"You don't need to get involved in League business, Alex." Kara told her, walking to the fridge.

"And you do? Since when are you besties with anybody? You pick the worst best friends. First Lena Luthor whose brother wanted to turn you into his personal weapon and trophy wife and now the leader of the League of Assassins! Unbelievable. If I ever move in with another woman you are moving in with us."

Kara ignored that and moved quickly to the kitchen. Finding no ale in the fridge she looked in her cabinets for …

"You poured out my beverages?"

"The alcohol you bury yourself under every night? Yeah, I did. Why? Are you cold, or is shaking something that you are trying out to blend in better?"

"Don't Alex. It has been a stressful day…"

"Yeah and tomorrow is going to be worse. It's the two-year anniversary of you cutting your wrists! You are going to be at Jessica's and judging by your shaking, you need to stop drinking. I knew you were drinking, Kara, but how much? Enough that you can't go a few hours without it affecting you?"

Kara sad nothing, walking to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Out." Kara told her and closed the door behind her. Alex let her go, knowing she couldn't stop her. She was going to the bar. Either that or to whatever hotel this extremely hot leader of the League of Assassins was staying at.

No, she was definitely going to the bar. Alex picked up her phone. He answered on the first ring.

"You busy?"

"Never for this. She has gone to the bar?" J'onn guessed.

"Yep."

"I will watch her. Relax Alex. I won't let anything happen to her."

"Thank you, J'onn."

"Never thank me. I do think it is time we talked about having that intervention…"

"Yeah, I know. She has started shaking. Give it some time though. Barry Allen being with her this weekend, she was in a really good spot."

"Did she drink after he fell asleep?"

Alex said nothing. There was no point. J'onn knew the answer before he asked the question.

"Rest, relax. I will have her home tonight." the Martian assured her.

"I can't do either, but thanks. Text me when you see her."

Alex hung up the phone and walked to the bedroom, taking off her denim jacket and placing the staff inside it back into the safe.

She then picked up a photo on the dresser. It was a picture of her and Kara at the beach. Kara did not have her glasses on. It was taken on their 15th and 16th birthdays. The smile the blonde had was brilliant. She was in there. She would find her way back. She had too.

 **Central City**

"No! There is absolutely no way you spent the weekend with Supergirl and are not going tell us about it." Cisco argued. Barry had been on the speed track all afternoon and said nothing, avoiding questions from Cisco and Caitlin. Now Iris was here as well. All three were shouting questions as he ran in circles.

The man finally stopped, skidding to a stop in front of them.

"We had a great time. I crashed a high-priced society event to find her, we stole a Lamborghini, drove it to the beach and talked for a while. Then we went back to her place and watched movies, ate ice cream and had dinner at a few places she liked. We hung out on the boardwalk, rode her bike down the coast, then Saturday night we watched The Force Awakens and I got her to watch the JJ Abrams Star Trek movies. I slept on the couch both nights. That's it."

"What did she think of the JJ Abrams movies…"

"Cisco! That doesn't matter. Did the two of you team up? Fight any aliens or metas?" Iris asked.

"Did you ask her about her respiratory rates when flying?" Caitlin added on. "Can she really fly in space? How does her body operate without oxygen? How much does she have to eat a day? Does she eat or is there some special Krypton diet she is on? Does she even eat organic creatures or is she strictly vegan? Perhaps she eats radiation? Do I need to check you for trace amounts? Could I? I would love to know her diet…"

"Enough!" Barry shouted. "I did not ask her any questions about those…where do you two even come up with this?"

"Do you think you can get me an interview?" Iris pleaded. "It isn't fair that she only speaks to Lois Lane. Some journalists even think Lois Lane knows who she is when she isn't flying around. How does she disguise herself?"

Barry took a deep breath.

"Look, I had a nice time. I had a great time. It was really good just…being near her. You don't understand. Before you knew her as Supergirl I knew her as Kara. That's who she is and always will be to me. No more questions. She mentioned that she may come to Central City soon to see me. Do not ask her these questions. They would make her uncomfortable and she does not need that. She would probably never come near any of you again."

Barry pulled himself away from his annoying friends and ran home. It had been quiet all weekend and the Flash hadn't been missed. He knew it was a matter of time before the next threat showed itself but for now he was happy. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed being in her presence, how relaxing it was, like they had known each other for years.

He also knew that something was very wrong. The man tried not to think about it, tried to ignore it, but had noticed her hand trembling at times. She would disappear for a moment and be back, but he recognized the smell, even if it had been from her bathroom. It smelt like alcohol but much stronger. He also noted she had rinsed her mouth out several times. Kara had mentioned to him jokingly that there were bars unknown to the public that catered to aliens. Barry couldn't help but wonder how often she frequented those bars. Hearing what little he did, not knowing the whole story of course, had given him a bit of insight to the girl he had always been crazy about.

Barry walked in, said hello to Joe who was watching a ball game and moved to his room. Staring out the window he thought of all she had told him on the beach the first night.

The stories about her arrival, learning to fight, the prison, her mother, her aunt and uncle. Having to kill her own aunt to save her family. Dick Grayson told him Kara was obsessive about her family. He could imagine the fear she felt when she realized Astra had found her parents and brother.

Barry's thoughts drifted to his father and of course Zoom. At the end, he had the demon defeated. He had every chance to kill him and hesitated. If the Time Wraiths had not appeared, what would he have done? They had already known they could not contain the man. Could he have done it? Could he have killed?

Kara could have. She wouldn't hesitate. She had killed her last living blood relative besides Clark because she threatened her adopted family. Kara told him she would have frozen Zoom and shattered his skull. That wasn't just talk. He knew she wasn't lying.

There was a part of Kara he had never seen. If Barry stayed involved in her life, he had no doubt one day he would see it.

She had beaten the hell out of Dick Grayson and the man said she did it without her powers. How did she get rid of her powers? Why would she want to? Barry had lost his speed twice and hated the feeling. Why would she want to be rid of her powers?

Because she hated them, he realized. Kara Danvers wanted to be human, it was all she wanted probably. Since she arrived on this planet, she had these powers and honed them, not to help others but for war. She helped others, he had watched everything she did over the years. She had saved thousands. If an earthquake, wildfire, flood, tsunami or tornado occurred she was there to save everyone she could. She had helped trapped firemen, handled hostage situations with police forces all over the country. But that was not why she had learned to master her powers. She did it to prepare for war.

Had the war really ended for her? Had it ended for him? Would Zoom haunt him forever, the look on his father's face, telling him it was okay and knowing he was going to die? Kneeling over his mother, saying goodbye and watching her die? Barry couldn't kill Thawne and as a result, Eddie and Ronnie had died. If he had killed him before Thawne ever tempted him with saving his mother…if Barry hadn't fallen for it…

He shook himself out of those thoughts when his phone buzzed. It was Kara.

/What R U doing?/

Barry smiled, glad that she had been thinking about him.

/Staring out my window, thinking of a flying blonde car thief. You?/

/Thinking about a Trekkie who nearly blew the transmission of a Lamborghini because he couldn't handle a stick shift. That's why I won't let you drive my bike./

Barry laughed, thinking of her in pajamas, crashed on the couch watching television. He had no way of knowing she was drinking at an alien bar in National City, nearly alone, because when Kara Zor El walked in, the majority of aliens ran away.

/So when is the fifth date? I need to plan to avoid my friends/

/they aren't still upset about me and my flying rodent buddy breaking into their hangout, are they?/

/No, instead they are fan girling and have a list of about a hundred questions to ask you. You could sneak over to my place. Joe can be discreet and he wants to meet you./

Barry stared at his phone for the next five minutes, waiting for a reply and worrying he had said something wrong. He had never met her parents. Did she not want to meet Joe? Perhaps he could tell her she didn't have to, he could pay for a hotel, or…

While his thoughts ran wild, he finally received a reply.

/Next Saturday/

The Flash let out a sigh of relief.

/Great. We should probably avoid stealing any cars./

/You can be such a do gooder. Why not? The only one who can stop us is the Flash and I think we both know I am faster than he is/

/Sounds like a challenge./

/I'm going to sleep. Talk to you tomorrow?/

/Count on it./

Barry thought of turning in himself. A knock on the front door sent him downstairs. Joe had answered and did not look happy. Stepping back from the door and beckoning the guest in, Barry was shocked to see Oliver Queen.

"Oliver? What are you doing here?"

The man appeared more tense than usual and the Flash mentally prepared himself to take on a meta or some sort of villain the Arrow had tracked to Central City.

"Can we talk outside, Barry?"

Barry nodded and stepped out onto the porch, Oliver closing the door behind them.

"What is going on? You need help, I'm game."

"I don't need help, Barry. Felicity told me that she talked to Caitlin. You spent the weekend with Supergirl?"

"Yeah, she said she knew you. She also told me not to ask you about her. You two had a falling out or something? It isn't my business. Now what is so important you came all the way to Central City?"

Oliver looked down, trying to figure out how to approach this. He had hours, traveling from Star City to figure this out and still hadn't come up with a good solution.

"Barry, you of course know how I was when I came back from the island. You told me once I could be better, be more. You have saved me a few times and I consider you a friend. I realize this is going to be hypocritical but I…we all, Felicity, Roy, Diggle, we feel like we should warn you."

"Warn me about what?"

"Forget what you have read in the papers or seen on the news. Do you have any idea how psychotic she really is?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 5 Kara and Oliver's Complicated Past**

 **The night of the Undertaking**

Supergirl watched Oliver Queen kneeling over a man who had been pierced by a steel rod in a partially collapsed building. Kara had known who the Hood was before this took place. She expected Bruce had as well. It wasn't hard to figure out. Oliver Queen returned from the island after five years, covered in scars that were not self-inflicted, tattoos including a Bratva one indicating he was a Captain. Within days of his return a hooded vigilante began harassing the elite of the city, assaulting, murdering, torturing, all in a bid to make them change their ways or turn them into corpses. Bruce wanted to take him in. Kara refused to let him.

As far as she was concerned, he was not going after innocents. He was going after scum and in her mind, it simply wasn't her business. She did the same. Every alien she found that wanted to hurt her or had hurt others was simply something to be destroyed. He may have gone after a different class of criminal but his methods and hers weren't that different.

Oliver had his hood back, and even through the black face paint, she could tell he was crying. She listened from the back in the shadows, not wanting to intrude. She could tell with her X ray vision that the man would not live. He was bleeding internally, ironically the rod being the only thing keeping him alive this long.

She heard the man named Tommy ask if Oliver had killed his father. Oliver told him he hadn't and Tommy died.

Kara walked up slowly behind him. Oliver heard her and turned, ready to fight until he saw the blue and red.

"What are you doing here?" the shaken man asked.

"I began flying as soon as your mother told the world that she has been part of a scheme with Malcolm Merlyn to level the city. I am sorry about your friend."

Oliver said nothing, looking back at the man he considered his brother.

"He is Tommy Merlyn, right?"

Oliver still said nothing.

"Where is his father?" Kara asked, quietly.

Oliver took a breath, trying to keep from breaking down. All the work, the List, the crusade, everything they had done had been for nothing. Malcolm had gotten what he wanted.

"I killed him." the vigilante told her.

Kara wondered if he was telling the truth. She could usually discern if someone was telling a lie, having quite a bit of experience lying herself. Oliver Queen was a master at it, she was sure. He had gotten away with being the Hood despite the evidence stacked against him for nearly a year.

"You just told your friend that you hadn't. Tell me where he is and I will take him in. If you don't and I find him on my own, I will kill him."

"I killed him! I lied to Tommy okay?! What do you want me to say? While my city was falling apart I fought him, almost lost and killed him. I stuck an arrow into his heart, through my shoulder. He is dead!"

Kara looked at him closely, seeing through his shirt and did note there was a hole in his shoulder that went through and through.

"I am sorry for your loss. You should go. Police will be all over what is left of the Glades soon. I will make sure he is taken care of."

The Arrow looked at her closely. Even in the dark, he could tell she was heartbroken over what had occurred. He could see she wished she had gotten here sooner. But it wasn't her responsibility. Saving this city had been his and he had failed. Taking one last look at Tommy, he stood up and left.

Oliver never saw the next 24 hours. He had gone home, checked on Thea, broke the news to Laurel, who had already known and was practically catatonic and checked on Diggle and Felicity. He never saw Kara Danvers flying over the Glades, spotting bodies in the rubble from above and working with rescue workers to save the trapped and recover the dead. He never saw her face, emotionless on the outside and dying on the inside.

Kara had worked disasters before but the idea that this was caused by a man and one she could not make pay was making it hard for her to focus. She had also never seen so many dead, crushed and unrecognizable. Kara saw a girl, and while she could not make out her face due to the trauma, saw that she had dark hair, nearly identical to Alex's when she was a young teenager.

The severity of the Earthquake also shocked her. Earthquakes caused deaths but this had to be a 9.0, unheard of in recent times. People had tried evacuating, many had gotten free but many had not.

It was a day neither Kara or Oliver would ever forget and she had never wanted to kill someone as badly as she wanted to kill Malcolm Merlyn, not since Non.

 **The Siege**

It was over. Oliver had Slade defeated. His ruse had worked, Felicity did what he knew she could do.

The man was tied, wrapped around a pole and all Oliver had to do was strike. One arrow, into his eye, maybe his heart and it would be over for good.

This man had killed his mother. He had kidnapped Thea, set lose an army of Mirakuru soldiers on the streets of Starling City, murdering whoever they came across.

But his promise to himself, in memory of Tommy, kept him from delivering the fatal blow.

On the streets below, ARGUS agents and Starling City Police Department, Nyssa and the League members she had brought with her, Sara Lance, and Roy Harper continued to battle the unnaturally strong soldiers who were attacking citizens at random. People were caught, caught in the crossfire and caught in the path of these maniacs that had sprung from nowhere.

The violence down below had to end. Everyone not a Mirakuru soldier relaxed, when one masked individual was struck in the chest with twin beams of energy and fell to the ground. No one, police included, had to guess who was there but everyone looked up regardless.

A flash of red and blue swooped down and landed in the street. She began to move as soon as her feet hit the ground, only appearing as a blur, arms swinging, taking down the madmen in one shot, ripping tendons with her fingers, cracking skulls and burning kneecaps.

Supergirl heard a man yell and a woman scream for Ray. Kara looked over and saw a man she guessed was Ray on the ground. His leg had obviously been broken and the woman was being held by one of the masked soldiers by the throat. Kara heard him scream for Anna.

The soldier squeezed, or tried to at least, hoping to snap her neck. Instead all five of his fingers were bent back and broken in less than a second by Supergirl who was moving at breakneck speed. The woman collapsed on the ground and Kara swung at the soldier, most likely cracking his forehead and putting him to sleep for a very long time.

Supergirl helped the woman up who then rushed to her fiancé. Kara had seen the man before on magazine covers. Ray Palmer, founder and CEO of Palmer Tech. She had flown past his satellites occasionally when soaring outside the atmosphere.

"Ray!" Anna had shouted, falling beside him.

Supergirl checked the surrounding area. No more soldiers seemed to be about. She had covered four other sections of the city already.

Seeing the area was clear, besides the dead bodies of civilians killed in this nightmare and the maimed bodies of masked killers she had left behind, she checked on Palmer with her X ray vision.

"You have a clean break of your fibula. This area is secure. Wait for an Emergency worker and do not move. I have to check the city and make sure none got away."

"You saved my Anna." Ray told her, pain forgotten for a moment. He had gone from sheer terror to relief in a matter of seconds. He was close to seeing the love of his life have her neck snapped while he lay helpless.

"You will both be okay. Police are nearly here. I have to go."

Both Mr. Palmer and his fiancée Anna watched her fly off, quickly out of sight. Kara did not go far. Once over the center of the city she listened, drowning out sounds until he heard the one voice she wanted.

Kara crashed through the top of the building, landing on one knee next to Oliver Queen. She noted a woman she believed was Laurel Lance and Felicity Smoak who Kelex had told her was running operations for Queen, were present.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"Slade Wilson. I'm taking him in. There is a prison run by ARGUS…" Oliver started.

"So they can study him?" the blonde asked, to be sure, disbelieving . "Why did you do this?" she asked Wilson.

The man smiled.

"Ask the hero of Starling City. Tell her kid. Tell the champion of the world why we are here. You should have killed me when you had the chance. I suppose the symbol for all that is good in your pathetic world is going to bring me in wearing cuffs. I might even get a trial."

"Doubtful." Kara told him, her eyes lighting up.

"Stop! Do not kill him!" Queen shouted, stepping in front of her.

"He did this for revenge? On you?" Kara turned to Wilson. "Many are dead in the streets all so you can pay him back for some wrong? Why didn't you just kill him?"

"Death is too good for him."

"So you killed people he had no connection to. He can give you to ARGUS. If you ever want to commit suicide just escape. I will make sure it hurts a lot when I kill you. You won't be able to hide from me. I know everything every Government in this world knows. You step out of your cell I am stepping on you hard. You know who I am. You know I can't be touched. If you think I won't kill you, then you are a fool. Look me in the eyes, Wilson. Tell me I am lying."

Slade Wilson did look in her eyes and what he found surprised him. She may have been cute, beautiful, even breathtaking, but she was a killer, the same as him and Oliver. The only difference, Kara was not on some crusade to prove she could be a hero and not kill.

"Damn kid. If you were half the man she is, maybe your city wouldn't have burned tonight."

Kara threw an elbow into his chin, knocking him out easily. She then turned to Queen.

"He came after you. You want him to live, fine. But if he kills another person I am blaming you as well. The next time you know something is going to happen like this, find me. Come to National City, stand anywhere and call my name. I could have ended this before any lives were lost. If you want to protect the people of this city, know when you are out of your league."

Oliver dropped his head.

"Yeah, I know."

Satisfied by his tone, Kara took off out of the building. She had seen more destruction and death and needed a drink.

Those were the experiences Oliver Queen had with Kara Danvers, leading up to the situation he had found himself in a year and a half before the present day. Kara had arrived once every couple months to check on Starling City to his annoyance. She never threatened him, seeming more interested in local criminal activity. He also noted that she was informed on everything in what was now called Star City, renamed by the man who took over his family's company, Ray Palmer.

Ray Palmer had also placed a large statue in front of Palmer Tech, formerly Queen Consolidated, of the Girl of Steel, hailing her the Savior of Star City, the woman who stopped the army intent on destroying the city. The Arrow as he was now known, was not as revered by the citizens. Star City Police called on him more than once to stop the vigilantism he was known for and allow them to do their jobs, assuring the citizens that if the worst happened, Supergirl would come.

Oliver often wondered if she had access to all the knowledge Felicity had, if somehow, she was watching everything Felicity did and stealing information from her. He soon found out that wasn't true. Supergirl did not need Felicity as she made abundantly clear the last time he saw her.

Oliver had been close to sending his team to the club up top, so he could find the location of Nanda Parbat from Nyssa who had been captured and was being held behind bars to prevent her from killing Malcolm Merlyn.

He never got a chance to send his team away. The intruder alert tried to sound but it was too late. They all heard the crash in the elevator shaft and then the door to the elevator was kicked open, flying into the lair.

Roy, Diggle, Laurel, Felicity were seeing at the same thing Oliver was seeing and having trouble believing it. This was not the red and blue clad super heroine who was the symbol of all that was right in the world. This was not the girl who would randomly fly into cities and land next to children, signing autographs and taking photos then flying off to stop a robbery, a terrorist plot, save people from certain death.

No, this was a blonde, clad in a black bodysuit, with eyes glowing and a look on her face that made it obvious she was not there for a friendly chat.

Before they could understand what was happening, Kara was across the room, her hand on Oliver Queen's throat, lifting him off the ground.

"You told me you killed Malcolm Merlyn. He is alive. I saw him on video in Brazil and I have video of him in Star City as well. He is alive! You lied to me to protect that monster?!"

"I thought I killed him." Oliver gasped.

"How long have you known he was alive?"

"It's complicated." he choked out.

Kara threw him into a console and looked around the room, noting the woman behind bars.

"That is funny. A wanted vigilante keeping a makeshift prison. Kidnapping to go along with the rest of your crimes. I should have let Batman take you in long ago. He knows who you are. I never told him. He is brilliant and unlike you, he is able to stop threats to Gotham before mass murder occurs."

Kara heard Diggle pull a gun behind her. She turned around, smiling for the first time, eyes still glowing.

"Aren't you cute, big guy? John Diggle, former special forces and now sidekick to this failure. What exactly do you think you are going to do with that gun?"

John never got a chance to answer, his gun heating up quickly. The man dropped it before it turned into a puddle of molten steel and plastic on the ground. Everyone jumped when the ammo blew up.

The blonde turned her attention back to Oliver Queen.

"How long have you known?"

"Three months. He…he set my sister up, his daughter…"

"Thea Queen is his daughter? Why haven't you taken him into the police?"

Oliver shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and wondering how he could calm the blonde alien long enough to explain what was going on. Looking at Nyssa, he saw that she was plainly amused, smiling widely with her arms crossed.

"Perhaps I can explain?" the woman behind bars asked.

Kara looked towards her and sharp burst of heat vision, snapped the lock on the small cage. Nyssa walked out and offered her hand.

"Nyssa Al Ghul, daughter of Ra's Al Ghul and heir to the Demon."

Kara took her hand, her eyes finally turning blue and the glow gone.

"At this moment I am Kara Zor El, last daughter of Krypton, and the avenger of 503 people who died in a man-made earthquake. I want Malcolm Merlyn's blood."

"This is not your concern!" Oliver shouted, standing once again.

"Your mother got off!" Kara shouted, Oliver having her attention once again. "A jury that was obviously rigged saved her from the death penalty she deserved! I let it go. You said Malcolm Merlyn was dead, so I let it go. Now he is alive and you know? Who will answer for the deaths of 503 people in the Undertaking? Where is your sense of justice now? Why haven't you turned him in?" Men, women, children, all dead, crushed, murdered by a man you are protecting! You think that is justice? What about your friend Tommy? Who is going to answer for his death? Because the perpetrator was his father the rest of the loved ones of the dead get no justice? Is this what you believe? Again, why haven't you turned him in?!"

"He can't." Nyssa told her, already extremely impressed. Of course the whole world, even in places as isolated as Nanda Parbat, knew who she was. The assassin had not recognized her at first, garbed in all black and a righteous fury on her face. "Malcolm Merlyn knows his identity. If he takes Merlyn to justice his identity is at risk of being discovered. While the police practically worship you, they are not as fond of the so-called Arrow nor Oliver Queen, former billionaire, played for a fool."

Kara moved quickly into the Arrow's personal space, faces inches from each other. "Is this true?"

"It is more complicated." he told her.

It was at that moment that Kara heard an extremely, loud and sharp cry. It hurt her for an instant but she drowned it in less than a second. A hand on Oliver's chest sent him flying back into Diggle and she looked at Laurel Lance, wearing some sort of sonic device around her neck.

"Since I have been on this planet, I have had to learn to drown out sounds, focus on those I want to hear and dismiss those that do not matter. Dinah Laurel Lance, correct? Assistant District Attorney and accomplice to a vigilante and the running of an illegal prison. Not very law abiding, are you Black Canary? Weren't you leading the manhunt for the Arrow last year? Everyone seems to fall under your spell, don't they Oliver?"

Oliver saw Roy try to move towards his bow but shook him off quickly. He knew nothing in this lair, or world most likely, could stop her. The Arrow had to calm her down, to listen to reason.

"I can explain everything…"

"You are a liar." Kara told him. "Do you know the difference in us? When I go after a target, I don't miss. I don't give them a chance to right their own wrongs and kill the dozen bodyguards surrounding them instead. There is absolutely no excuse for protecting him. My mother's twin sister, the aunt I loved as a child, tried to exterminate humanity. I snapped her neck! Do you really think there is anything you could tell me that would justify this?!"

"He has also declared war with the League of Assassins, telling us that Malcolm Merlyn is under his protection in Star City and no one shall touch him." Nyssa told her, adding fuel to the girl's fiery eyes.

Kara looked again at Oliver. He was worried, as close to panicking as she had ever seen him but what she did not see was any denial in his face. Nyssa Al Ghul was telling the truth.

"So you plan to what? Bring another war to Star City? How many more people will die because of your decisions, Oliver Queen?"

"I will not start a war with the League of Assassins." Oliver assured her. "I will face Ra's myself. If I can beat him, then there…"

"Then what? You give up the vigilante life and become the head of the League? Call off the manhunt for Merlyn? Of course not. You don't want to run the League. So who takes over? I am guessing you don't plan on giving the title to Nyssa here since she wants Merlyn dead. That leaves…you have to be kidding me."

Nyssa smiled wider, walking closer to Oliver Queen. She enjoyed the look of panic his stoic face tried to hide. "You are correct, Kara. He plans to beat my father and name Malcolm Merlyn as head of the League of Assassins."

"And if you die, Oliver?" Kara asked, watching him closely, studying his body language, his eyes. The man looked down and began walking around the lair. Looking at the display cases full of costumes, he shook his head then turned back to Kara.

"I die as Sara Lance's killer; the League has no more feud with my sister or Star City."

Kara threw her head back and laughed. She couldn't believe the stupidity of this man. Looking at Nyssa, it was obvious this woman had a special hate for Oliver and Merlyn.

"Nyssa, I believe I have heard everything Oliver has to say. Please tell me what has happened."

Kara listened to the woman closely. She heard her talk about Sara Lance, Oliver stopping Nyssa from killing Merlyn and then discovering that Merlyn had brainwashed his own daughter to kill Nyssa's love. The more she heard, the more disgusted she became.

"Why? Why would you defend someone so dishonorable?" the blonde asked Queen.

"He is my sister's father. He was Tommy's father. He is…"

"A mass murderer. Nyssa if Oliver is killed, will your father hunt Merlyn?"

Nyssa looked away, not quite sure how to answer. Kara noticed and was surprised. She expected that the woman would swear vengeance. Her hesitancy was unexpected.

"Nyssa?" Kara asked again. The woman met her eyes and Kara saw all she needed. Nyssa did not believe her father would care about capturing Malcolm Merlyn. Nyssa had led this crusade herself. Her father may have supported her but the drive belonged to her.

"I do not know." she finally admitted. "The League wants him to answer for his blunder in the Undertaking but…my father has destroyed cities before in what he considered a cleansing. He did not care for Sara. I do not know what he will do. I will not stop looking but the League…"

"Will support you." Kara assured her. "Can you defeat your father? Do you wish to?"

"I do wish to. I do not love him, but I cannot defeat him." the woman admitted with much difficulty. "He has over one hundred years of battle. He cannot be defeated by me, or by Oliver Queen."

Kara closed her eyes and thought. She had options, but which was the best? She had no doubt Merlyn would stay in uninhabited areas only, popping up on facial recognition occasionally. She did not want to waste the time and resources to track him down yet had no choice. She could not get rid of the image of that crushed girl with Alex's hair, the image that haunted her often. That girl and the hundreds of others would be calling for justice in her nightmares.

She knew what she had to do. The answer was simple.

"If I take responsibility for killing Sara Lance your father would be forced to fight me, correct? If I do this and take his mantle, I will pass it on to you, under the conditions that we will always be friends, my enemies are yours and yours mine. My family is your family to protect as well as it is mine. You must also spare no effort to find and slaughter Malcolm Merlyn. We will pool our resources and get justice for those killed by him, including Sara Lance. Do we have an oath?"

Nyssa smiled, truly smiled for the first time since she learned Sara was dead. She took Kara's hand and swore the same.

Oliver watched the two women discussing the death of a man he had sworn to himself that he would protect and desperately tried to think of any way he could stop her.

"I have already confessed to killing Sara Lance." he tried.

"But you can't fight him. You have a torn ACL." Kara pointed out. Before Oliver could ask what she was talking about, he hit the ground as soon as Kara's foot kicked the side of his knee in a downward motion.

"I felt for you once, Oliver. I understood what it was to have family you are ashamed of. I didn't care that you were killing scumbags. My friend in black wanted to take you down but I wouldn't let him. You have failed this city one too many times though. Defending the man responsible for the Undertaking is despicable. You are done. If I see or hear about a hood in the city again, Batman or I will come for you. He will probably add another brand to your collection of scars. I'm just going to kill you. No matter how many scars you have, I have more. Team Arrow is out of business. Kelex, blow their system."

The members of Team Arrow hit the ground Oliver was already lying on as the monitors, hard drives and servers all exploded. A surge of power shattered the lights, leaving only red emergency lights on. Kara walked over to the cases holding the costumes and lit them up, leaving the garments burning, adding light to the lair. She snapped the arrows present and took the sonic device off a very frightened Laurel Lance's throat, crushing it in her hand.

Kneeling next to Oliver she whispered in his ear.

"Never try and stand in my way. If he means that much to you I will have his head mailed to you. I'm not lying to you. I hear about a hood in this city and I will slaughter the person wearing it. Black vinyl should probably be avoided as well. Being a vigilante can get someone disbarred. Something to remind Lance of."

Team Arrow stayed on the ground as Kara and Nyssa walked to the elevator that had been destroyed. Wrapping an arm around Nyssa's waist she launched them both into the sky.

 **Central City**

Oliver finished his story, hoping his friend would understand. Caitlin had gushed to Felicity about Barry and Kara's past and the way they looked at each other. Barry didn't understand the hate, misery and violence Oliver had seen in the blonde's eyes that night. She was a force of pure destruction bent on the death of Malcolm Merlyn. She put a fist through Ra's Al Ghul's chest, bent the League of Assassins to her will and Malcolm Merlyn was killed, torn apart and spread over a mountain top. Oliver received an unsigned note a month later, telling him the spot Merlyn's remains were spread over if he and Thea wanted to pay respects.

"Do you understand, Barry?" Oliver asked.

Barry shook his head and sat down on the porch, elbows on his knees.

"No Oliver, I don't understand."

"I realize how she appears to the world…"

"No." Barry stopped him. "I don't understand how you could have protected that man, how you could have justified it. When you were killing people, when you first appeared, it never bothered me. I knew I could never be like you but I looked up to you because you did what was necessary. When I found out who you were…I defended you to Joe. I respected you. How could you let that man go, much less defend him?"

Oliver was surprised and disappointed. Was Barry already under her spell?

"Barry, the circumstances involved with Merlyn were not cut and dry. What I am trying to stress to you is how dangerous she is. She can't be stopped and her temper, that power, in someone as angry as she is…"

"You are such a hypocrite." Barry said quietly, then looked Oliver in the eyes. "You decided not to kill and the world follows your lead? You punished those who failed your city and you protected the one who killed the most? Why Oliver? Make me understand, because I can't."

"Barry! She broke into our lair, broke my leg, could have crushed Laurel's throat. She burned down the place. She released a woman bent on revenge and placed her as head of the League of Assassins. They swore oaths basically tying her to the League and the League to her! They talked about murdering a man…"

"A monster." Barry corrected. "Oliver, when I beat Zoom I hesitated. I should have killed him but I didn't. Luckily for everyone some creatures…it doesn't matter. The point is, if I had let him live, he would have continued killing. He murdered my father, kidnapped Joe, kidnapped Caitlin, toyed with people's lives. I almost made a mistake. A mistake I thought you never would have made, but now I wonder."

"She can't be stopped."

"Maybe she shouldn't be." Barry countered. "I think you should go back to Star City."

Oliver sighed and rubbed his forehead. Barry had been the one who encouraged him to change, him and Felicity had convinced him to do things differently. Now Barry was about to get in bed with a woman who Oliver unfortunately understood. He saw Supergirl's eyes. He had never seen so much hate, rage, pain, in anyone's eyes. The most powerful person in the world, the one who could not be defeated by any country was insane and hiding behind more than one facade.

"Barry…just be careful. If you make her angry, she will hurt you."

Barry Allen stood up and shook his head. He looked at Oliver carefully, wondering if he realized what a hypocrite he was being.

"Give me one reason why Malcolm Merlyn should have remained free."

Oliver opened his mouth, then closed it, turning his back on his friend.

"I…I didn't want Thea to lose one more…I don't know." Oliver turned around once more. "That isn't why I came to talk to you. I just want to know if you truly understand what you are getting into? She isn't human, Barry. She may look like a beautiful blonde, but she isn't. She can't be stopped. I looked her in the eyes and what I saw there is the same thing I have seen in my own eyes. The difference is I can be stopped. She has unlimited power. She told something or someone called a Kelex to blow our system and it happened. She is an alien, one who decides who lives and who dies and knows that no one on Earth can stop her. If you get involved with her, just be careful. Always remember, she is not human."

Barry nodded his head.

"A lot of people have said the same thing about you, Oliver. Are you sure you are mad that she killed Merlyn or does it have more to do with her not listening to you? You have a lot of pride, man. I bet the idea of a girl throwing you around had to hurt, didn't it?"

"That isn't what this is about!"

"Is it because she did what you should have done?" Barry tried.

"No, it is…you are the one who told me I could be more, that I didn't have to kill." Queen reminded him.

Barry shrugged his shoulders and walked to the front door.

"Maybe I was wrong. Be careful on the way back to Star City."

That said, Barry opened the door and walked inside. He didn't say anything to Joe, who was obviously surprised he wasn't going out with Queen or had invited the vigilante inside. Barry simply walked up the stairs, into his room and lay down. Thinking about what Oliver said to him about Kara, he became angrier. Angrier at Oliver for his hypocrisy and angrier at himself for his own failure. He hesitated killing Zoom. Why? Why hadn't he called Kara? Had his pride cost his father's life? He had often wondered if Kara could have really stopped someone as fast as Zoom so easily. She was invincible but she had a heart, organs, she had blood running through her veins. The monster was faster than Barry. He could have phased a hand into her body and shredded her. The man had not wanted Kara anywhere near Central City.

Now he knew better. Kara would have killed Zoom. She would not have hesitated. There would have been no questioning of whether she was doing the right thing.

What did she really think of him and how he handled the situation? Did Kara think he was weak? Did she feel sorry for him? Kara had told him she would be looking out for him from now on. Did that mean she thought he needed protection?

Barry thought of all she had told him, what she had lost. He had lost his mother and it scarred him his entire life it seemed. She had lost everything but her cousin. She lost the ground under her feet and the only woman who had been left alive, who she had loved from her childhood, Kara had killed to protect those who became her family. The girl never hesitated.

No, she wasn't human. She was strong and he knew there was a storm behind her beautiful eyes and smile, but he knew she wasn't human. A human would not have gone to the lengths she did to get justice for hundreds of dead she didn't know. A human would not have worried about a guy she hadn't seen in six years.

When Kara entered S.T.A.R. before she realized he was the Flash, she threatened to tear him limb from limb. Batman had said Harrison Wells hurt a friend of hers once and she wanted him dead. She was ready to kill the Flash to get to Harrison Wells because she believed Wells had hurt him.

Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep eventually, his thoughts all over the place, his father's face, Zoom laying underneath Barry's vibrating hand, challenging him to finish it, and Kara, the look of anger on her face and then pity when she realized it was him behind the mask.

 **National City**

Kara woke up with a massive headache, tucked in her bed. The drawback of alien alcohol was there being no alien Tylenol to deal with the consequences. She had almost made herself immune to hangovers but last night had been particularly trying. Megan had brought her different drinks as requested, trying new cocktails that did not smell. None of them tasted very good but that was not the point. She didn't drink for pleasure. Anti-anxiety medications did not work on her but alcohol did. She remembered Megan at one point suggesting she stop and then the woman disappeared. Kara thought she may have gone home. After that she felt arms around her, lifting her up and some part of her mind warned her that she may be being attacked but the larger part of her mind did not care.

Waking up in her own bed, in her pajamas, told her what had happened. J'onn had brought her home and Alex had put her to bed. It wasn't the first time but never failed to embarrass her. She would almost rather have been left where she was then being treated as someone who needed to be taken care of.

"You feeling okay?" Alex's quiet voice asked her. She rolled over and saw her sister sitting on the side of her bed.

"My head hurts. Guess I had a wild night, huh?"

"No, a wild night would involve fun." Alex reminded her. "Drinking alone in a bar, sitting at a table until you pass out and a Martian brings you home is not fun. At least after J'onn's last involvement, no aliens took a shot at you. They are all looking over their shoulders for him now. Bring Lobo to Earth and the three of you can put every alien bar in the world out of business."

Kara laughed lightly despite her headache. "Sounds like more drinks for me." The grin left her face when she noted that Alex was not smiling.

"Let's go to Midvale." Alex told her suddenly.

Kara was surprised. Usually Alex hated to miss a day of work.

"I think I still have a job I have to go to. Don't you?"

"No, I mean let's go to Midvale, for good. I will quit the DEO, you quit flying around in a cape. I can work for the bio genetics lab at UNC Raleigh, you could open that restoration shop you always wanted to, maybe sell paintings at those open street markets sometimes. We will live in our home and enjoy life. Walk away from all this."

Kara sat up in bed, trying to understand why Alex would be joking this early when she must have known Kara had a massive headache.

"Be serious. I have to get ready for work. I also need a couple gallons of water. That usually helps."

Alex put a hand on her shoulder.

"I am being serious. I will quit the DEO, put up the armor and weapons if you stop this Supergirl stuff. We can move on, Kara. We saved the word six years ago and have been fighting crime ever since but it's never going to stop. Let others handle it. Let the Flash, Batman, anyone else handle it. I think we have earned the peace."

Kara shook her head wondering if she was still drunk. She touched her sister's cheek to ensure herself this wasn't a delusion.

"Alex, you love the DEO." Kara told her. "And you love fighting aliens, metas, crime lords…"

"I love you more." Alex told her, putting a finger to Kara's lips. "This isn't good for you. You never wanted this, remember? We saved the world and did other stuff. I am the one who wanted to keep going, to work for the DEO, to… I don't want it anymore. Let's go home, Kara. Mom and Dad will leave with us. All of us, we will do anything if you would just stop. We can have that life you dreamed about. Or maybe we can go to another country? What about Greece? England? Maybe France? You have always talked about traveling, exploring these places you have flown over. Maybe it's time. You and me, maybe it's time we had some fun in life? What do you say?"

Alex watched her sister closely, praying to whoever would listen that Kara would go along with it. It was true, she did love what she did, but it was not worth the price.

Kara shook her head and stood up.

"I need water and coffee. More water than coffee." she mumbled.

"It can be ours, Kara. Say the word and we are gone. No one may be able to hurt you, but this life is killing you and you know it. Deep down, you know this Kara. The drinking, the nightmares, the depression, please say we can go home and it's all over."

Kara laughed and walked to the bathroom, Alex following.

After Kara brushed her teeth she turned to speak to Alex, who was still standing in the doorway.

"You think the nightmares will go away? I can't quit yet. How am I supposed to sit in Midvale watching people trapped in floods, earthquakes, ship wrecks, everything! How am I supposed to sit in my perfect world knowing I could help and not? The money off this symbol and that damn name pays for a lot of research, treatment, dreams of children who have no hope left or are fighting just to stay alive. People in trouble look to me for help, for hope. How can I walk away until Clark is ready?"

"You won't make it until he is ready. You won't let Mom and Dad check you out, to see what all this alcohol you are drinking is doing to you…"

"I do not drink that much! Last night…"

"Yeah." Alex cut her off. "Last night you were upset they suggested you may be an alcoholic and then proved you weren't by getting plastered. You want that red sun crystal implanted, you want to be human, have you considered that you are doing so much damage to your organs that when you do lose your powers you will die? Or maybe your addiction will carry over? You are right, the nightmare won't just go away with your powers but you might. What about Clark? Who is going to guide him when he is ready?"

Kara nearly said you will but stopped. The last thing she needed to appear was suicidal on this day.

"It helps, okay? I don't drink often, I just need it to calm down. I sleep better. I had no nightmares last night. Once this is over, I won't be as tense. I will stop, put it away, never again if it bothers you that much."

"You need to stop now." Alex insisted.

"Then you stop. Quit the DEO, quit this Manhunter crap, and back me up from a distance, out of harm's way." Kara countered.

Alex shook her head and walked away. She couldn't do it. If Kara was on her own she would be killed. She simply drank too much and she had become too confident, thinking nothing could harm her. She would not stop drinking and be in as much danger as before.

"Alex?" Kara called, walking after her.

"No Kara. I have always been by your side and I always will. If you want me safer then stop drinking so you don't get both of us killed out there. Get dressed. I am driving you to work and Dad will be there at 5:30 to pick you up. No damn excuses. No emergencies, nothing. Do not play games today, Kara. Swear to me."

Kara felt her temper rising but held it down. It wouldn't be a problem. She could get what she needed from Megan at lunch and would be fine that night. There would be no family meeting though. Nyssa would be there.

"Fine. No games, I will be there."

Alex nodded her head and smiled. "Glad to hear it. I also got this Nyssa's number from Kelex. She was told she wouldn't be needed and had urgent business to attend to regardless. Something about Darkness is coming and she needed to investigate. I don't want to know and you do not need to be involved. If you must, then you will tell me everything."

"Why would she tell you that?" Kara asked quietly, knowing exactly what Nyssa had been talking about. The two had been keeping tabs on Damian Darhk for months, trying to determine his location and plans. Nyssa suspected he was using dark magic and Kara was not excited about the possibility of confronting that. She certainly didn't want Alex around it.

"Because Kelex disguised my voice as yours and I told her to keep me updated, or you since she thought she was talking to you. We are having a meeting tonight and we are talking about this, everything. All of us."

The blonde grabbed a gallon of water from the fridge without comment, turned around and moved to the room to get ready for the day. If she thought her family was going to force her into a conversation she did not want to have, they should have known her better. Kara did not like being backed into a corner, especially to deal with a problem that wasn't a problem.

An hour later, after her sister dressed in black for the day, dropped Kara off, she found herself on the top floor of Catco, preparing for another day of…nothing. The blonde got no enjoyment from the work but it was the easiest job to get away from if she was needed and allowed her to watch news reports from around the world all day.

And then there was her new assistant or Cat's new assistant, someone's assistant. Siobhan Smythe. So far, she had perfected letting the world know they were beneath her and licking Jimmy Olsen's boots. Speaking of Jimmy…

"Good morning, Kara,"

Kara let out a deep breath and turned her Internet Explorer off. There would be concentrating on TMZ's website when Jimmy wanted to talk.

"Jimmy! How are you today?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Doing good. You okay? Have a tough fight last night? You don't look so good." he whispered quietly.

Kara kept the smile on her face, not letting her irritation show. For a man in a committed relationship with General Lane's youngest princess, he flirted with Kara constantly. She never reciprocated but it did not stop him. Apparently, his belief that he was one of the few single males who knew her real identity gave him the idea that he had some social bond with her.

"I'm fine. How is Lucy? Still using that law degree to be her father's secretary? I saw her last month. She looked very sharp in her special hat."

James looked away, slightly embarrassed. Kara knew Sam Lane hated Jimmy and Kara never failed to bring up his name.

"Yeah, she has been traveling a lot with him. Where did you see them? Were you helping them out?"

Kara began laughing, shoulders shaking, nearly snorting, adjusting her slightly ascus glasses, she smiled even wider if possible.

"I was watching them on satellite. I would sooner sit in the sky with a bowl of popcorn and watch that man be slaughtered before I ever helped him. Have a good day, Jimmy. I will be sending Siobhan to your office later with layouts. Take care."

Kara turned and left the tall man staring at her. No matter how cheerful she could pretend to be, he knew she could be ruthless regarding those she considered an enemy and she definitely considered Samuel Lane an enemy. It was something that bonded her and Lois. Kara spied Siobhan, looking a bit frustrated with filing. The blonde wasn't sure why the girl had even taken this job. She had a feeling the newest assistant may have thought this would be more glamorous or a stepping stone for greater things. In the grand scheme of things she was finding out she was not going far here. All the brown nosing she had attempted towards Cat had only soured the CEO to her. Kara offered suggestions on how to handle Cat but the girl seemed convinced that she didn't need Kara's help, even calling her a few choice names that she thought Kara couldn't hear. The blonde could care less. She had been called worse since she arrived on Earth. Orphan, arsonist, whore, psycho were only a few she heard in school. It was nothing that remotely affected her any longer.

She had bigger concerns. Nothing short of a nuclear attack would save her from this meeting tonight. The entire thing was ridiculous. Letting Clark in on family meetings? What he knew was bad enough. They wanted her to be honest and thought of bringing him in? Like she would ever admit to anything in front of him. It was bad enough that she couldn't be certain he wasn't listening anyway.

Another was today, the date. Two years ago she had seen a mother and child burn and seven hours later tried to take her own life. Kara thought of it often, even if she denied it. The girl could not get the memory, the feeling, the fear and yet the relief that it would all be over soon, that she could possibly cease to exist or perhaps the good she had done, outweighed the bad and maybe there was some sort of Heaven she could enter. It had been selfish. Kara had not given thought to how those she loved would be affected or how Eliza or Alex would have found her later that day. She hadn't given any thought to Clark's reaction when he found out.

Shaking her head, she walked over to her new coworker and offered to help, only to be told she was not needed. Kara smiled at her and walked off, leaving the building since Cat was in a meeting for the next two hours. She made her trip on foot, three miles to her favorite and only bar. Megan was not at work but the bartender on duty knew Kara. Luckily, she was in disguise so while she got a few looks, wondering who the dark-haired female in glasses was, there was not the mass exodus that usually occurred when Supergirl walked into the bar. Taking her small purchase and placing it in her purse, she wandered around the downtown area, having time to herself since Cat still would be away for another thirty minutes.

Kara thought of calling Nyssa and telling her that it was Alex who she had been speaking to and to get back.

But she couldn't. If Damien Darhk had surfaced it was important for her to keep track of his movements and determine if he really did possess some ancient magic that had not been seen before. As much as Kara hated to do it, she may have to bring her friend in black into this. Bruce had trained under Nyssa's sister Talia, who headed the League of Shadows. He knew more about dark magic than Kara. While he wasn't crazy about her association with the League of Assassins, the man was not a hypocrite and did not say a word against her actions. Secretly, she believed Bruce was happy Merlyn was dead, not that he would ever admit it.

So how to stop this dinner from becoming some sort of unneeded intervention she had no doubt was coming?

Her phone chimed and she smiled immediately. It was Barry asking her how her day was going.

Kara never thought something as simple as a text could bring a smile to her face.

Then inspiration struck her. She hit the call button.

"Hey! I wasn't sure if I could call you. I didn't know if you…"

Kara interrupted him.

"You know how I said I would meet Joe on Saturday?"

"Uh…yeah. Is it too soon? We can do something else! I can run to National…"

"Barry, hold up. I would love to meet him. I was wondering if you could do me a favor tonight. I mean if you don't have any metas to stop of course. My family is having a sort of dinner party, just friends of course. It's going to be at their neighbor's house and I could really use a date. I was thinking you could finally meet them and then afterward we could go somewhere, do something, anything really, as long as it is away from them."

Kara heard nothing for a moment and wondered if she had lost him.

"You want me to meet…your parents?"

"Yeah, Alex told them about you. They really liked you back…then, and I am sure they would love to see you in person. Is it too much? If it is I understand…"

"Where and what time?"

Kara smiled, relieved.

"6 PM and I will text you the address."

"I'll be there." he assured her. A quick goodbye from both, the call ended and Kara had accomplished two things. She would get to see Barry again, sooner than expected and have plans afterward that would prevent any family meetings about issues she did not wish to discuss.

Walking back to work happily, she stopped and bought a soda, pouring a bit of her new purchase into it, just to get her through the day.

 **Egypt**

Guy Gardner hovered over the ground and took in the sight of the Sphinx, still impressed as he was the first time he saw it. It had been years since he had been on Earth, years since he was sent undercover to spy on and then takeover a different sort of Corp. Not really a Corp even. Just a group of people with huge chips on their shoulders. Joining the ranks came easily for him.

As the sun set, he landed slowly, dimming the red aura around him so he would not stand out in the desert.

Not that it would have mattered. Of course he had been tracked since he entered the galaxy and the green glow from above told him he would have an unwanted visitor tonight before he could even make himself at home.

"Jordan." Guy greeted his former comrade.

"Gardner. What are you doing here?" Hal Jordan asked carefully, knowing his presence could mean nothing good.

"This is my home planet. Some reason I don't know about that I can't be here?" the man countered, trying to stay calm even though the ring on his right hand wanted to unleash on the Green Lantern who questioned him.

"I know you aren't here to help. I think we have all the help we need." Jordan told him, stepping carefully behind the man who had once been a comrade and now was…something else.

"Yeah," Guy agreed. "I heard Earth has become such a dumping ground for galactic scum that this planet has four Lanterns now. Not that any of you do any good. You have a badass Kryptonian protecting this planet. Why the hell is the Corp even here?"

It was true. The Green Lantern Corp protected the Universe from those who wished to harm or invade planets. Earth had four such Lanterns. Their job had not been to become involved in the day to day activities of a planet. It was to protect planets from beings such as Gardner's former boss and the group he now called his family.

"We are here, doing what we always do. I am going to ask you again, why are you here?"

"I guess I am going to ask my earlier question. Is there some reason I can't be? Last I checked, a Red can go wherever the hell they want."

"The last I checked," Jordan countered, "you were sent to break apart the Reds."

"You can't just turn a Red! It doesn't work like that!" Gardner yelled, facing his green counterpart, red energy leaking from his ring. "This isn't a Green ring! You can't just take it off! Even if you could, it would kill the host. This ring replaces our hearts and blood, Jordan! Once it is on, it doesn't come off, ever. It is who you are. Keep asking me why I am here and you are going to find out who I am! Bring Stewart and Rainer here. Who is the new girl? Cruz or something, right? I got my team not far off. We can rearrange the Egyptian landscape or you can go to hell and let me do what I am here to do."

Hal Jordan had seen Guy like this before. He was confident in his ability to defeat him…perhaps. Gardener had always been a wild card, ruled by rage rather than will power. It made him unhappy in the Corp. When someone was needed to infiltrate Atrocitus's Red Lantern Corp and topple him from power, Guy had quickly volunteered and took to the red ring as if he was born to it. Whatever reason he was here couldn't be good but he doubted the trouble would come from Guy. No matter what he thought of Gardner the man was not evil. He wasn't Sinestro or Atrocitus. If he was here, he was probably here to help and that was what had Jordan so worried.

"Let's take it back a step, Guy. I apologize. Please tell me what has brought you here. It obviously isn't anything good. If you were homesick we are a long way from Baltimore."

Guy took a deep breath. He really wanted nothing to do with the Greens any longer but he could use extra eyes and may need a hand while here. It probably wouldn't do to start a war with them within minutes of landing.

"Fine. I beat Atrocitus, we did, but he got away. I wasn't able to kill him."

"And you think he is here on Earth?" Jordan asked, tensing.

"Worse. Before he ran he sent off Red Power Rings throughout the Universe. Too many to track. We knew the general direction and left those alone that went into regions without any species that could be considered a threat in line with Atrocitus, but one came to Earth. That was the one we have been tracking. The number of metahumans and aliens on this planet, if that ring falls into the wrong hands…I don't think I have to tell you what a new Red could do."

Jordan nodded his head. It had been so peaceful lately. Since Supergirl arrived on the scene six years, ago aliens were too frightened to make a move. The four Green Lanterns of Earth rotated shifts, flying the outer rims and ensuring peace on other planets. If a Red Ring was here there was a potential monster waiting to be made.

"You tracked the ring here?"

Gardner shook his head. "I thought I had. Its these damn pyramids. Martians…they are psychic towers…"

"I know what they are and what they were for. Are you saying a ring flew to this planet and could be anywhere?"

Gardner nodded his head and began pacing. The ring of a Red Lantern, one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. The more powerful the host, the more powerful the ring. The greater the rage, the greater the power.

"You know how it works, Jordan." he continued. "These rings are sentient in a way. It will stay hidden, waiting for the right time. It was drawn here for a reason. Somewhere on this planet is a very strong being with great rage. All it is waiting for is that being to become angry enough to accept it. If it's a Khund, a Valerian, hell even a strong meta, we are all in trouble. The ring is here for a reason. It will make itself known at a time when its chosen host has lost all control, all grip on its emotions. When that happens…you know the destruction a new Red would bring. If you want to help, help me find this damn ring. I think I can destroy it in the Blood Ocean on Ysmault or at least contain it."

"Okay," Jordan agreed. "Coordinate your Reds with us so we don't have any gang wars starting up. The more powerful the host the more dangerous it will be for everyone if that Red Ring finds a home. If the worst happens…we may need to make our presence known to Supergirl. She is probably the only one not a Lantern who is strong enough to take a Lantern out."

Gardner agreed.

"Species all over the Universe have heard of her. It's a good thing she is such a happy little thing, flying around in a skirt. Someone with her power taking that ring, I don't want to think about that. The power of a Kryptonian filled with rage, having one of the most powerful and deadly weapons…"

"Gardner! Didn't you just say you didn't want to think about that?" Jordan reminded him, not liking the thought of anyone with her power being attached to the ring. "I have watched her for years. She is a good person. There is no way she could have enough hate in her heart to draw that ring. She isn't like…"

"Me? Yeah, I get it Golden Boy. No offense taken. Let's find a bar and talk about how to find this ring."


	6. Chapter 6

**Do not own DC or CW characters.**

 **Chapter 6 Date Night**

Jeremiah was alert as he walked his daughter into Jessica's home. Kara was happy.

Kara was very happy.

He had seen Kara pretend to be happy.

He had seen her happy for others.

He had seen her happy at times, when she was painting, or those rare moments where she would watch a sun rise or set and feel complete peace. Perhaps when she was flying with Clark or just playing or watching a comedy or romance or her all-time favorite, a romantic comedy, with Alex.

He knew when Kara was happy because she had made a great save or stopped some monster.

She was happy when the two had discovered some new object in the night sky. She still took nature walks with Eliza on weekends and stared at wildlife that she had somehow never learned to take for granted. He knew all her shades of happiness and every other emotion.

He also recognized when she saw happy because she was up to no good and knew she couldn't be stopped. That was the happiness he was seeing on her face right now. He knew she must have suspected tonight had more to do than her house arrest on one of the worst days of all their lives. She had not been happy about coming over or spending the night the evening before.

So what had changed?

"Wow…J'onn, hello. And Jack…hey there, Ty. Didn't realize you guys would be here as well." Kara told them, taken aback for a second, then realizing her suspicions were correct. They were planning on having some sort of intervention tonight. They really were. Unbelievable.

Jeremiah noted her happiness just dipped.

"Good to see you, kid." Jack Webb told her, wrapping her in a hug. Kara tensed a bit. This could be bad. She wondered if there was any chance J'onn could read Barry's mind.

Of course he could. That was fine. J'onn would never admit it and that meant he had to keep whatever he learned to himself or risk exposing that he had been reading minds. She loved the Martian, but he was a bit too nosy for his own good or hers.

Of course he had saved her from death a few times. Sadly, Kara admitted, she was a bit resentful last year, not wanting to seem weak. She was certain if any alien had taken a shot at her, she would have woken and dealt with it.

Maybe.

If not, she figured she would have gotten what she deserved for blacking out in public. That was a weakness and if there was one thing Kara hated to show other aliens, it was weakness. She had beaten a trail of enemies on this Earth, a trail that told what would happen to any others who wanted to walk down it. As a result, Kara was hardly ever targeted. Only the insane and possibly suicidal came after her. Now they thought she had a weakness.

"Kara, come to the kitchen." Eliza ordered, grabbing her hand. "Let's see what you think of the sauce. I think it is perfect."

"I can't." Kara told her, holding her ground and earning a sharp glare from Eliza.

"Sweetie, I told you that you are staying with us tonight." the woman whispered in her ear, a not so gentle reminder. "This isn't up for discussion."

"I know, but since it was a dinner party I invited a date. I hope you don't mind. I was talking to Barry this morning and I kind of wanted to see him. I asked him over. He was really excited to meet you and Dad."

Eliza looked over Kara's shoulder at Jeremiah who was rubbing his forehead. The man just figured out why his daughter was so happy. He had no doubt she would like to see Barry, but she also knew that the man would run all the way from Central City and couldn't very well be turned away.

"We were having a meeting tonight. I told you that." Jeremiah told her from behind, knowing it would do no good. Kara turned towards him and shrugged her shoulders with a grin.

"It's a family meeting. It's not like we are planning a raid and it's time sensitive. We can do it any night. We do live near one another. I even get rides to and from work now, even though I can fly in space. What's the big deal? There are too many people here to have a meeting with Jessica anyway. You know Jack and Ty will be here all-night drinking with Connolly. Where is Clark?"

"On the beach with Dan. Can't you hear them?" Eliza asked shortly and walked towards the kitchen.

Jeremiah watched her go and looked down at his daughter who was no longer smugly grinning.

"That was not right, Kara." he told her, not elaborating. "And don't say if he is a problem the two of you can go somewhere. She has been worried sick all day, we all have."

"And I am here!" Kara whispered.

"She wanted us all to talk after dinner." Jeremiah told her, knowing that she knew.

"No, you all want to have some sort of intervention. Since when do we bring others into our family business, my business? Instead you plan some sneak attack on me? You wanted to do this with Clark within listening distance? J'onn too? Really?"

"Maybe J'onn just showed up hoping for a thank you for carrying you home from the bar unconscious last night." Jeremiah reminded her.

"I was placed under house arrest and…and…I got carried away, but it hardly ever happens. I…"

"Have been drinking all day." Jeremiah finished. "Do you know how I know? Your hands aren't shaking. You have been drinking that water bottle you are keeping in your purse, right? Could I have a drink, Kara? I am kind of thirsty. Water would be great. It's not like it would kill me or anything. It's just water, right?"

Kara stepped back, turning her head to the right, not meeting his eyes. Jeremiah knew he nailed it. He knew all his daughter's deflections and guilty expressions.

"Kara…"

"Mom is probably going to need my help. When Barry shows up let me know, please?"

Kara walked off quickly, leaving a frustrated Jeremiah.

Kara realized she should have stayed out of the kitchen because she almost literally walked into the fire.

Eliza was waiting for her, Jessica as well. Both were leaned against the counter, arms crossed and not happy in the least.

Kara waited for them, either of them, to say anything. Neither did. Apparently, it was up to her to make the first move.

"So this is more of a party than I expected. I didn't realize everyone would be here." she tried, trying to sound annoyed in the face of Eliza glare.

Eliza walked up to her and placed a hand on her cheek.

"I have loved you. I will always love you. You are my daughter and you have been since the moment I laid eyes on you. I have seen you happy, I have held when you were scared or upset. I have been with you every step of the way and I always will be. I will do anything to protect my family from any danger. I will protect you from any danger, even if that danger is yourself. You know why I wanted us all to meet tonight."

Kara turned away and crossed her arms. Of course she knew. Why else would everyone be here? They all wanted to talk to her, tell her how worried they were and attempt to guilt trip her into some form of treatment, a triple A as she joked to Alex once. Alien Alcoholics Anonymous.

Alex did not find it funny then. Kara was not finding it funny now.

"I would imagine you wanted us all to sit in a circle and each one of you are going to say how worried they are about me. I don't need it and I don't want it. I am not an alcoholic. I am getting very tired of everyone calling me one. Two years ago I did something horrible. I scared you…"

"You did worse than scare me, Kara!" Eliza told her. "I thought you were dead. I have nightmares about that moment still! My angel, my beautiful Kara, who loves her siblings and birds, and music and art, gone. I thought you were dead, you looked dead! You were lying on the floor in a large puddle of your blood! You have been drinking since you were 18, right after Myriad. You kept it a secret for a while until you couldn't anymore. You think it's no big deal? Let's go to the bathroom and you can step on a scale. Since you turned 22, you have weighed 126 lbs. Every year, every month, every day, you have weighed 126 pounds, whether you ate a cow or had nothing for weeks. There is no way you weigh 126 pounds now. You might be 115. You shouldn't be able to lose weight but you have been. These substances you are consuming are destroying you and I will not stand by and let you keep doing it to yourself. I tried to give you space, tried to be understanding, letting you work this out on your own. Now I am telling you that you are getting help."

Kara turned back to Eliza, feeling a sting at the tears in her eyes. She hated to make Eliza cry and had done it too often. Kara looked at the woman who was her mother in every way. She stayed up with her when Kara couldn't sleep and Alex needed sleep, she fussed over her, still snuck over and cleaned their loft, still made Kara's favorite meals and left them in the fridge, never once stopped loving her, despite the hell the girl put her through.

But she didn't understand this. Eliza did not know the victims that haunted her sleep. The faces of those she couldn't save. She had failed too many times and the first failure was near a beach in Midvale. No matter how many times her and Jessica worked on placing blame where it belonged, she still went back to when she was 13, watching that woman and baby die in almost slow motion.

"I do not have a drinking problem. I just need to relax and it helps me sometimes. Yes, I do shake sometimes but that is a normal reaction when I have had too much. It stops soon after I wake up. If it means that much to you I will cut back. I don't ever hear you complain about Alex drinking."

Eliza shook her head and rubbed Kara's cheek.

"Alex does not have tremors because she hasn't had a beer in a couple hours. You do. "she told her gently. "If it is a normal reaction then why won't you let me test you, determine if it is effecting you physically?"

"Because I don't like to be studied." Kara told her firmly.

"You have never had a problem with me checking you out before. Never. Are you afraid of what we might find? No matter what, we can fix this…"

"I am not broken!" Kara snapped. "Maybe I am, but it's my own fault. I swear I won't try to kill myself again. I swear, okay? But please stop this. I am so tired of being treated like I am a charity case."

Kara looked towards the living room and smiled.

"Barry is here." she told her mother. "I better get to him before our friends scare him away. Come meet him, please?"

The girl walked out quickly, leaving the mother and therapist staring at each other, neither knowing what to say. Eliza prayed Kara would agree to get help herself, so other steps wouldn't have to be taken. She had planned a show of love and support from their family and closest friends tonight. Kara had anticipated it and countered by bringing another into this, someone she knew the family would not bring up tough subjects around.

"I should move. We should move. Every time she is here, she is less than thirty yards away from the spot she killed Astra." Eliza told Jess.

Jessica shook her head, knowing that wouldn't make a difference.

"It doesn't matter. She wants Clark to have stability, we all do. It doesn't matter where you live. Every demon she has lives in her head and her heart. She carries them with her everywhere. That spot does not remind her of killing Astra as much as it reminds her of the day she almost lost you all, the same as that day Hank Henshaw found you all in Midvale. We are going to have to do it, Eliza."

"We can't."

"If you want to save her life we may not have any other choice. We can talk about it more later. I have no doubt that even with Barry Allen taking her attention she is listening to everything. She knows we want her to get help of course and will come up with every excuse to avoid it until we give her no other option."

Eliza took a deep breath, wiped her eyes and prepared to meet Barry Allen. She didn't want to think about what they had discussed. The woman knew her daughter and she knew Kara would hate her, hate them all.

She also knew she could not put it off for long. Kara was losing weight, she was shaking when she wasn't drinking, her anger was always just below the surface and often spilt over. The guilt of everyone she had failed to save, the hate she had for Astra for making her kill her, the hate for her father and Jor El, even her grandfather for destroying Krypton and the hate for her mother due to her role in covering up the impending destruction was always inside her. No matter what Kara swore, if they did not get her serious help, more extreme than daily therapy sessions, another suicide attempt was not far off. One thing Kara had always done was learn from her mistakes. If she tried to kill herself again, she would not be stopped this time. She would hide in the Fortress or fly to the moon and put a damn red sun bracelet on. Eliza knew of these possibilities because they haunted her sleep.

Barry had arrived, glad to see a shed on the side of the house. The house everyone was gathering at was the neighbor's house. He hoped it was the right house. Kara's bike wasn't present but she could have gotten a ride or flown. Rushing inside the shed with the bag he carried from Central City in his arms, he quickly changed, uniform in the bag and jeans, sneakers, white t shirt covered by a blue button up shirt, long sleeves rolled up. It was the 16th thing he tried on and decided it would have to do. Walking out of the shed, he was confronted by a giant and a little dark-haired boy.

"Smooth," Dan Hawk told him. "Didn't notice the lightning trail or red streak jump into the shed at all. You are one sneaky guy."

Barry looked up at the very tall, very muscular man.

"That was sarcasm if you weren't sure. It's hard to tell sometimes with Dan. I'm Clark. You are that guy from Central City, right? Streak or…what do they call you? I can't remember." the little boy lied.

"I'm Barry Allen. You must be Kara's little brother?"

"I must." the kid agreed. "This is Dan Hawk. He's my friend."

Barry looked at the duo, one not quite five-foot-tall and the other closer to seven feet. They made quite a …pair.

"Yeah, Kara told me to…I am guessing this is your parents' home? Is she inside or at the neighbors?" Barry tried, hoping to find her before he was introduced to anyone else.

"Did you bring flowers?" the boy asked. "I don't see flowers. Do you see flowers, Dan?"

"I don't see flowers, kid." the man confirmed.

Barry started to sweat a bit, wondering if he should have…of course he should have. But for who? The neighbor who was preparing dinner, Kara's mother, her? Damn it!

The Flash looked at the house where everyone was gathered and then towards the shed he had just left his red suit. Should he suit up and run back into National City? How would he run back with the petals staying on the stems?

"Too late now, string bean. Get inside. Hey, you aren't planning on spending the night at Kara's, are you?" the large man asked.

Barry began to sweat, the button-down shirt he had on feeling very tight around his neck even though it was not buttoned around his neck. He could tell the man wanted an answer.

"Uh…you see…I…Alex…and couch…and she, Alex I mean…she is there…so it's not like…I don't have to… I just…"

"Kid relax. I don't care if you do or not…"

"I do." Clark added.

"but if you are, just make sure you don't drink anything Jere gives you. The man can make some amazing, scary things. He caught Batman Jr in Kara's apartment once and gave him a cup of coffee that took him out of action for a month."

Barry couldn't have heard that right. He poisoned Nightwing?

"Why would he not want Nightwing fighting crime?"

"Not the action I am talking about." Hawk told him, patted him on the shoulder, and walked to the party.

Clark looked up at Barry and shrugged. "I have no idea what action he is talking about but he wasn't kidding. I doubt Dad would poison you though. I mean probably not. Sure, he is kind of overprotective and does work in a lab and makes all sorts of viruses and cures but I don't think…it's a fifty-fifty chance. You probably shouldn't drink anything he offers you. Hey, Alex!" Clark finished, seeing her pull up and rushing to her, leaving Barry alone.

Barry walked slowly towards the house everyone was gathered at. The patio was being set up by who he assumed was Jeremiah Danvers and another man who was possibly Jason Connolly or Jack Webb. He had only seen Connolly once and was more focused on Dante at the time. A very grim middle aged black man was on the patio and Barry had a feeling that the man was green and from Mars.

Then she was there, off the patio and walking towards him. Her glasses were off and her blonde hair and blue eyes seemed to reflect the setting sun over the ocean behind him. Despite the nerve wracking conversation he had just had, the sight of her brought a smile to his face.

"Hey there. You look great." she told him, a bright smile gracing her face.

"So do you." he told her.

The man was not lying. She was dressed casually, stone washed comfortable jeans and a light blue sweater. He saw she still wore the necklace, spying the gold chain around her slender neck. When she was dressed like this, not in the costume the world knew, but as Kara Danvers, it seemed impossible that she could lift a tire much less lift a plane.

Kara reached out for his hand and pulled him towards the patio. Of course every eye was on him. He noticed two women had just walked out, the blonde most likely Kara's mother and of course Alex slapped the back of his head as she walked by him.

"Mom, Dad, come meet Barry!" Kara shouted. If all attention had not been on the man it was now.

No, Barry decided. All the attention had already been on him. The dark haired older man and blonde woman walked up to him, smiles on their faces, he was very glad to see.

Jeremiah reached out and took Barry's hand. "Barry Allen, Jeremiah Danvers. A pleasure to finally meet you after all these years."

"And I am Eliza, Kara's mother. I have heard great things about you. I've been wanting to meet you for years. I am so glad you could make it."

Barry caught something in Eliza's eyes but he wasn't sure what it was. Yes, she was glad to see him, she seemed sincere but something was…off?

"I am very glad to meet both of you. For a long time I never thought I would."

He decided to leave the part about having to be struck by lightning to have the opportunity, out. The joke didn't seem appropriate. The mood was strange and he couldn't quite understand it. Things seemed easy going, the woman and men sitting on the patio were smiling. No one was sending threatening glances his way. So what was off?

"Come on over to the table. I think the food should be ready soon." Jeremiah offered. Kara took his hand softly and pulled her with him to the table. After introducing him to those he didn't know already, they sat and relaxed. Barry poured a glass of tea from the pitcher in the middle of the table for him and one for Kara. He did notice Kara look for her bag and realize it wasn't next to her.

"You left it on the couch inside Kara. I'm sure it will be fine there." Alex told her pointedly, confusing Barry even more. "Unless it is that time of the…"

"No!" Kara practically shouted, stopping Alex from speaking further. "I thought Dad banned that topic of conversation at the table years ago, Alex."

The brunette shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, but this isn't his table, its Jess's. Hey Barry, want to hear a funny story about when Kara first moved in with us…owww!"

Kara and Alex's faces were both red, Kara from embarrassment and Alex from the pain of Kara kicking her shin under the table.

"I would love to hear stories, I mean it would be great to hear since I know…you know…it can probably wait for another time though." he finished awkwardly, since the two sisters were still staring at each other.

"Sorry." Kara whispered. "After dinner we can take a walk or go somewhere and I will tell you all the stories you want to hear that don't involve embarrassing topics."

"Tell him about the first time we had to go into a porto potty and you figured out that humans used toilet paper! I love that story!" Clark suggested, brightening Kara's face even more, the shade nearly matching her Supergirl cape.

Kara cleared her throat, thinking maybe an intervention wasn't so bad and reminding herself to never invite Barry around her siblings again. She caught Eliza grinning at the end of the table.

"Mom, a little help here?" the blonde tried.

Eliza actually snorted. Kara guessed she would not be getting help from her, probably for a while.

A silence descended on the table, the guests not knowing exactly what to say, Barry not sure what the underlying tension was and also trying to eat a normal amount of food and Kara wondering what excuse she could make for walking inside to grab her purse.

Clark was completely oblivious to any awkwardness.

"So Barry, right? I read on the internet that some paper in Central City said you were the fastest man alive. Is that because you are over 18?"

Barry shook his head, wondering where the hell that came from. The little boy looked sincerely curious so he decided to play along.

"Uh, no, I never said that. Okay, I may have said it before but it's almost like bad luck. It seems every time I say it, someone else comes along who is faster. I guess now, at this moment, unless someone is around who I don't know about…then yeah, I probably am the fastest man alive."

"That's cause nobody knows about me. Wanna race? I am pretty sure I can take you." the boy challenged.

"Uh…"

"Do you have any other powers? Like heat vision, super strength, X ray vision, freeze breath? I know you can't fly. What about it? What do you got?"

"Clark!" Kara hissed.

"I'm just curious."

Barry did not know quite what to do. Kara had her head in her hands, Alex held her hand in front of her mouth to hide a smile and Jeremiah and Eliza seemed to be in the same state Barry was in. The rest of the guests seemed curious so he figured he should play along.

"I… I can actually run fast enough to go through solid objects." he offered.

Clark seemed unimpressed. "Why don't you just crush them with your fist? Oh right, that's us. Go on, what else you got?"

"Clark, stop it now!" Kara scolded while Alex held her eyes shut tight to hold the tears from the laughter that desperately wanted to break out.

"No, it's alright Kara. Uh, let's see, I can run over water." Barry tried.

"We fly, go on." the boy encouraged.

Barry gritted his teeth and smiled.

"I once ran back in time on accident and I can make breaches into alternate universes."

"Dad, didn't you say when we watched the Terminator that a person would have to be a reckless, irresponsible idiot to travel back in time for real because the damage they can do to the world we live in could be…what was the word you used? Catastrophic? Yeah, that's what you said. I hope you didn't screw anything up, Barry. You didn't, did you? Alternate universes sound cool. So you just visit, like on vacation or do you bring friends over…no wait! You don't bring more bad guys over, do you?"

"Mom!" Kara begged.

Eliza decided to have mercy on Kara. Mercy on Barry but his discomfort was nothing compared to Kara's mortification and the woman was enjoying it after what Kara had done tonight.

"Clark, that is enough. Stop asking these questions. It isn't your business and Barry has done a lot of good with his powers. He has saved this world."

"From the black hole? Cause when it happened Kara and Alex said it was probably the Flash's fault in the first place…"

"Clark!" four voices rang out at once, causing everyone else at the table to jump, even Hawk.

"Sorry. I'll shut up now. Kara is faster than you, by the way. You ever want to put your money where Central City Picture News mouth is…"

"Barry, why don't we go for a ride? We still have an hour of daylight and the road by the coast is beautiful." Kara offered, hoping he would agree so she could get him out of here. She should have just sat through the damn intervention. It would have been less painful.

Jeremiah was having none of that. Kara would have Barry talked into going to the bar with her and pass it off as showing Barry the Alien side of town in Raleigh no doubt. Alex would be going wherever Kara went tonight. It wasn't that he didn't think Barry would be anything less than a gentleman. At first glance, Jeremiah could tell he was a good guy, a good person and was relieved. He had only heard good things about Allen from Alex but considering Kara's history with Grayson, he had been afraid Allen might have been another underwear model only in red spandex instead of black.

Sadly, he didn't trust Kara. He loved her, would die for her, but he did not trust her when it came to making good decisions for herself. The man knew she needed help and the last thing Barry Allen needed to see was Kara drunk. She had been drinking probably all day but the girl knew when to drink just enough to soothe her over until she could be alone. Once alone though, all bets were off.

"I have a better idea." he told them, dashing Kara's hope. "Why don't the five of us head over to our house and get to know each other in a less crowded environment? Clark, you can stay and clean up." the father ordered.

"But I want to know if he has ever been clocked and compare my times and…"

"And you asked all the questions you are going to get to ask, little man." Eliza told him. "Help everyone clean up. Do you mind, Jess?"

"Of course not. These guys are going to be telling war stories for the next several hours. Clark can help me out quite a bit. Since you are so fast you shouldn't have a problem taking care of it all in seconds, right?"

"Sure! Give me something to do and Barry can try and get it done faster than me. He is supposed to be the fastest man alive and all."

 _"I swear to Rao, I will drop your little butt on the moon and you can find your own way home!"_ Kara told him, causing Alex to finally loose it, breaking down in laughter. Leave it to Clark to turn a boring meet the parents night into one of complete awkwardness for Kara.

Clark stopped talking then. He had come a long way in his Kryptonese he insisted he learn so he could understand what Kara and Alex were saying. He wasn't quite sure what Kara had just said but it was not something nice. The boy had figured he had pushed her past her limit tonight.

"It was nice to meet you, Barry. I like your costume." he offered. Barry at that point was afraid to say anything. "Is it impenetrable and impervious to temperature like ours…"

"Clark! Go help clean up." Jeremiah told him in the tone used to convey that he was not playing around anymore. Clark smiled and winked at Barry and in a blur, he was gone.

The walk over was thankfully quiet, Kara whispering an apology for her little brother…or cousin, he supposed. No, she considered the Danvers her parents so she would consider him her brother. Barry assured her it was no problem. He did find it weird that everyone seemed to grimace when Kara zipped inside and came out with her bag. It seemed like a nice bag to Barry but he doubted the reaction had anything to do with the bag itself. Something was going on and the man had no idea what.

Kara did seem to relax when she took a drink her of her water. Barry thought it may be some alien drink, considering how relieved she seemed. The looks of her family told him they probably weren't happy she had taken a drink of alien water. What was the story with that? Caitlin's question popped into his mind. What is her diet? She ate dinner but not much. Did she need food? Did she really not need air?

The Flash was starting to realize there was a lot about Kara that he did not know. She had told him of her time on Earth but he knew she was holding back. The blonde had told him there were things she wouldn't talk about. Kara had mentioned some horrible things, fights, seeing her family almost die multiple times, fighting and killing Astra, the raid on the Myriad base.

So what was she holding back? Was it his place to ask? Kara had not asked him about his father, only to say she was sorry for his loss and it seemed as if she felt guilty about it. She obviously had not asked him any personal questions. Was it his place to ask her personal questions? Would it ever be?

Barry decided he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to relax, stop trying to overanalyze everything and just enjoy being around her. He noticed there was no strong smell of alcohol that had been at her apartment the last time he stayed with her. Perhaps it was a one off, or she was celebrating something, maybe happy he was there?

Taking in the house, he was surprised. It wasn't a typical beach home, not that he had been in many, but no nautical themes, or light interiors. It came off as warm, lived in, like his home as a child and Joe's home he spent his later years in. Pictures adorned the walls of the home and he couldn't help but walk around the living room, taking them all in. What he saw was amazing. Not only were photos present but artwork as well, paintings that were not reprints and must have cost a fortune.

Kara noticed him studying the painting of the house in Midvale, she had painted a year ago. The blonde wondered if she had not made a massive mistake inviting him and should have called Nyssa instead. She had watched Clark…be Clark, and she had no doubt the man noticed the tense atmosphere and hoped he did not believe it had anything to do with him. No, the atmosphere was on her, but she had not been the one to plan a poorly concealed attempt at some sort of intervention.

The blonde walked up beside him.

"It's the home I grew up in, the one in Midvale. I'm going back someday, to live in it. Mom and Dad still own it. That's kind of been one of my goals since I left for college. Take care of business and if I survived come back to Midvale."

"You painted this?" Barry asked. "I knew you were an artist but this is beyond amazing."

Kara blushed and shrugged it off.

"Every painting in this house was done by Kara." Jeremiah told him, standing behind the two." I also have a massive collection of her sketches and other paintings. I like to rotate them very month, give them all a chance to shine."

Kara shook her head and stepped away. Yes, she was proud of some of her art. She also wondered if her parents still had that sketch book she drew in to record her worst nightmares when she was growing up. It was not something she ever wanted to see again and hoped they had burned it, but never had the courage to ask them. Avoidance was a technique Kara had mastered long ago.

She watched Barry continue to look at the photos. The ones that were hung were the ones she loved most. Moments when Kara felt as completely happy as she was capable of. The vacations they had taken, always spots she was able to not wear her glasses comfortably, the holiday memories, the prom photos that her and Alex had attended together, the birthday parties and soccer team photos, all photos Kara genuinely smiled in.

Then he arrived at the wall that contained childhood photos. There were many of Alex holding science fair trophies, Clark holding soccer trophies and the graduation photo of Alex, along with another in front of the house with both of Kara and Alex. Kara had refused to take her glasses off for even a school photo that could be added to a yearbook with no online connection, so the parents took photos of them standing in front of the Midvale home in their cap and gowns.

"You have a great family." Barry told her.

"The best." Kara agreed, eyes misting up, looking at these memories through new eyes now. Every photo was a moment that was seared into her mind, as strong as the horrible memories she had of tragedy, danger, fear, lives lost.

"I love the one of you without your front teeth. How did…did you bring these from Krypton?"

Kara snorted. "Nope, only a few diapers, a few cans of baby food and bottles and a set of crystals. That was the survival gear they felt I needed to take care of a baby on a strange planet, even after spending fifteen years building a space craft in secret."

She had hoped he didn't notice the bitterness in her tone, but from his surprised expression and lack of a reply, she supposed he did.

The four sat down, Alex, Kara and Barry on the sofa, and Jeremiah and Eliza next to each other in a love seat. The parents took over the conversation, and Kara was happy to see the awkwardness had lessened since they left Jessica's. Perhaps they had accepted that whatever they had planned tonight would not be happening. The parents asked about Barry's job, his friends and Eliza and Jeremiah of course had many questions about the meta humans and dark energy that S.T.A.R. Labs had studied. The questions were not invasive and did not bring up time travel, Thawne, Zoom or any battles he had fought and lost. Instead they were of a more scientific nature, technical but on a level, Barry could keep up with. He was a scientist, and though his specialty was forensics, he did have enough knowledge of physics and biology to keep up. He also suspected the Danvers were keeping their questions on a level he was knowledgeable of and appreciated it deeply.

After a relaxed hour, where Kara did not say much, she suggested that they go out. To her annoyance, Alex thought this was a great idea. After promising that they would meet Alex at the apartment before other plans were made, the Flash took off towards their apartment while Alex took her bike and Kara suited up quickly and flew off before her parents could have a word. She had left her purse behind but it didn't matter. The bottle she needed was in her hand and though it was nearly empty, the blonde had more stashed in a compartment in the ceiling of the bathroom closet, somewhere Alex would not think to look. Nothing annoyed her more than Alex pouring out drinks. They did cost money and Kara did not make much. Cat Grant wasn't known for competitive wages.

Kara caught Barry's attention at the front of her building and told him from above to follow her. Once they arrived on the roof, she pulled out a bag she kept stashed near a large AC unit. Perhaps Kara did not realize or think about it but no matter how fast she changed, he saw everything in slow motion. Of course her back was to him, but she was not moving quickly, at all. When she turned, dressed in jeans and a white tee shirt, her suit and cape in hand, she realized that Barry was standing, still suited up and staring with his mouth open. She should have been embarrassed but had drank enough during the day, fortified with the rest of her bottle on the flight over that she laughed instead. If she was honest with herself, she did it on purpose.

"Sorry, forgot to warn you to turn around. I usually change up here. I don't like flying into my window or out of it unless it is absolutely necessary."

"Uh…no problem. I'm sure superheroes change in front of each other all the time. I just haven't been around other superheroes…that often. I mean I have, but…uh…"

Kara laughed again, glad to see that even in the dark he was blushing but didn't appear offended.

"I'll warn you next time, I promise."

"No!" Barry told her quickly. "It's completely cool. Have…I guess you and Alex but has…"

"Batman sleeps in his suit." Kara told him, kidding, sort of. "I'll turn around. The red outfit you have on seems like it might catch the attention of my neighbors."

Kara did as she promised and turned back around three seconds later. As she suspected , Barry had not wasted time, dressed as before, duffle bag in hand. The blonde walked up to him and gently took his hand, still feeling that tingle every time she touched him. Kara suspected it must have to do with his molecules being in a constant state of vibration even when not using his powers.

That had to be it.

"I'm really sorry about tonight. About Clark. He has a big mouth, likes to talk, to brag and…"

"Whoa," Barry stopped her. "I liked him. He was cute. He didn't offend me. The thing about time travel…"

"Barry…"

"He was right. Or your father was, I guess. You have no idea how close I came after my Dad was murdered to going back in time and saving my mother, preventing me from ever becoming the Flash. Don't get me wrong, I always loved being the Flash but there was a moment I felt really broken. I wanted to change everything, rewrite history, make sure I was never struck by lightning. I almost did it."

Kara was surprised by that admission. She had never thought about Barry having the desire to go back and change his own past but shouldn't have been surprised.

"Why didn't you?" she asked before she could stop herself.

The man shrugged his shoulders and looked at the stars, shining brightly on a clear night.

"When Thawne first offered the chance, I talked to everyone about it. Everyone said I should go back, change things. Everybody but my Dad. He told me not to. I was going to do it anyway until I saw myself back in time, in the living room with my mother. I told myself to not get involved. I mean the other me…you know what I mean. Anyway I hesitated, I didn't save her. But after my Dad's funeral and then when Zoom was…I almost did it. I stayed calm though, really thought about it. If it would be for the best, I never would have held myself off the first time. So many bad things happened but a lot of good things did too. The lives of everyone around me would have been changed, some for the better, but some for the worse. There was simply no way to be sure that I could do it without hurting my friends, or worse, the whole world. So I didn't."

Kara grabbed his hand and turned him towards her.

"I think you made the right decision. I don't know if I could have done that. Sometimes I think, that if I could go back, fifteen years before I left Krypton and killed mine and Clark's parents an entire planet would still be alive."

Barry was shocked but stayed quiet. What did her and Clark's parents have to do with the death of her planet?

Kara realized what she had said too late and hoped he didn't ask any questions for now.

"But then Clark wouldn't be alive. So I wonder, would I trade him, the light of my life, for millions of Kryptonians? I don't think I could. I know I couldn't. If I could stop them, I wouldn't, just so he could be born. It isn't right, it would be the wrong decision regarding the greater good but I would make it every time."

Barry took her other hand, and the blonde looked up at him. He saw her eyes were a glorious blue and shining, wet. The sadness was evident and Kara looked away quickly to hide her expression. She had said more than she meant to. It was a characteristic that Barry always had. Whenever he was around, even when she was 18, Kara told him things she would never tell anyone else.

"You wouldn't have been born either." Barry pointed out. Kara did not respond, instead wiping her eyes and walking toward the rooftop entrance, Barry following behind, deciding he would get no response.

Once inside Kara told Barry to make himself at home and headed straight to the bathroom. Opening the closet and levitating up, she popped the false ceiling and grabbed her recently purchased bottle of alcohol, a tasteless, odorless liquid meant to be mixed with other beverages. Kara drank it straight and then placed it back. Once she checked herself out in the mirror and saw she had it together a bright idea occurred.

Walking back into the living room, she found Barry flipping through channels.

"Want to go somewhere?"

The man seemed surprised. He had heard Kara tell Alex they would be here when she arrived.

"Didn't you promise Alex…"

"That we wouldn't go out. We aren't. You are going to have to trust me. Come with me." the blonde beckoned, walking back to her bedroom. Barry followed but stopped at the door.

Kara noticed him looking at both beds, Streaky laying on hers and glaring at Barry, as if daring him to move the cat off. She wondered what was going on in his mind then realized he was probably realizing what had gone on in here for years with Grayson. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"Barry? If you don't want to be in here, I understand. It's fine." she lied.

Barry shook his head. He hadn't known exactly what to think. Despite being here before he had never seen Kara's bedroom. It was a shock to see such a personal space. No paintings were on the walls, but drawings instead, pencil sketches of her family and some of random images. An electric guitar was in the corner of the room next to an amp and she had a journal of some sort on her pillow. He saw a different pair of sneakers by her bed and a sheet of paper on the desk, he swore was a costume design.

"Sorry, no, its fine. I was just…I don't know. For years you have been this larger than life…I knew you before Supergirl but I guess after all these years I realized I didn't know much about you at all. You kind of did become a bit larger than life to me, in a way. To see your room, I guess it just hit home that…"

"I'm human?" Kara guessed. "I'm not. I want to be, I would give anything to be. But I'm not Supergirl either. Supergirl is a myth, created by Cat Grant, that I participate in. Supergirl is strong, kind, loving, compassionate. She is everything you could hope for her to be. That's not me, not the real me."

Barry didn't see it. Yeah, he had heard what Oliver had told him and for Oliver's health, he would never mention that conversation to Kara. But everything he had seen her do had shown that she was kind, she was compassionate and seeing her around her family showed him she was loving.

"I haven't seen anything to prove those descriptions wrong." he told her.

Kara took a deep breath and walked over to her closet. She opened the door and brushed aside her clothes that she still color coordinated in her closet and even her drawers to Alex's eternal amusement.

"Maybe I can be those things. It's just Cat builds me up to be this infallible person, someone who always makes the right decision, who is always bright, optimistic, would never harm a single person. I am supposed to be above such petty things as anger, and bitterness, depression. She makes me seem like a god, a savior. I'm not. I'm just a screwed-up girl, who has a lot more power than someone like me should ever be given. I do the best I can sometimes, and sometimes it isn't good enough. Do you want to know the real me? You would be disappointed. I'm not a hero, Barry."

He walked across the room slowly, wondering why she would say such things. She had saved thousands of lives. The Daily Planet ran a story once, attempting to estimate the number of lives that had been saved by her direct intervention. The numbers were vast and the Planet admitted that they were most likely low in count.

What Barry would give to know her, to really know her, scars and all. Especially the scars, because he had a feeling those scars were what made her who she was, and he thought she was pretty great. He always had.

"Maybe I am not either. Maybe we are both trying to do the best we can with what we have been given." he offered. Kara shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. Step inside my closet with me. Its big enough for two."

Barry was confused but followed her into the small space anyway. Kara slipped a small piece of clear plastic out of her pocket and placed it into her ear.

"Kelex, open the portal and turn off the disintegrator. I have a guest coming with me. Do not attack."

Barry swallowed hard. He remembered Oliver saying something about a Kelex. He had not heard anything about portals or disintegration. He would have remembered.

He tried not to squeak when the back of the closet lit up, a bright blue light. Kara grabbed his hand and literally pulled him into the wall. He opened his eyes and was surrounded by…ice? Crystals? But the place wasn't freezing. Where the hell was he?

"Where the hell am I?" he asked quietly, taking as much as he could in but realizing the place was huge.

"You are in Antarctica." Kara told him, smiling sweetly.

"Antarctica? Like, physically in Antarctica?"

"Physically, metaphysically, in every way possible. This is my home away from home. Alex and I made it…sort of. It's a large crystal structure, impervious to outside attack and carved into a mountain. The portal is a recent addition. A friend of mine named Lobo dropped off some plans for a portal transmitter he found on Rann. They are great at transportation technology. It basically opens a small …not a worm hole, exactly. It does bend space but it does not have the power of a worm hole. You know how unstable those can be. It's not very different from the small Phantom Zone projector we made once that Alex trapped a Coluan with. Sort of like the naturally occurring portal one I found in the Bermuda Triangle."

"Hold on. Wait…Lobo, portals, Rann, Phantom Zone, Coluans and the Bermuda Triangle? You are going to have to take…oh, and we have a flying short robot." he finished, seeing Kelex float up. Barry probably shouldn't be surprised by anything considering he was infatuated with a super powered alien and yet she still managed to do it.

"This is Kelex." Kara told him.

"And you are Barry Allen. I have had Justin look in on you over the…"

"Kelex! Cut the conversational mode out for a while, okay?"

"My apologies, Kara."

"Why does he sound like Loki?" the man asked.

"They all did on Krypton. Anyway, Mom and Dad have a portal in their home. If anyone comes in without one of us, basically mine and Clark's DNA or Alex and our parents DNA, a shield will activate just outside the portal and vaporize anyone who walks into it. I needed a way to get my family to the Fortress quickly if the worst-case scenario ever happened and I had to get them off this planet fast."

"Wow." Barry said, not knowing what else to say. He could see a large machine, circular and filled with monitors, images from all over the world filling it. He swore he saw a large space ship at the far end to his right and supposed that was her families escape pod. He also noted a group of mannequins in glass cases, each having a different variant on Kara's costume. Barry admitted he would love to see her in some of them…all of them.

"Yeah. We call it the Fortress of Solitude. There is no one around for hundreds of miles, completely secure and completely hidden. Only a select few even know it exists. Welcome to the select few, Barry Allen."

Barry walked around, looking at everything. He had a million questions to ask, not knowing where to start. Everything he saw was in some way from or connected to alien civilizations. The Earth knew of aliens of course but the ones who meant no harm must have stayed hidden. The ones who meant harm were taken out by Supergirl quickly, never heard from again. Other than that, the vast majority of Earth really knew nothing about other planets, species, politics or technology.

"It's also the one place I can feel completely comfortable without my powers." Kara admitted, walking beside him.

Barry stopped walking. He remembered Dick Grayson telling him that Kara beat him without her powers. The man hesitated at first, wondering if she would want him to know but deciding she wouldn't bring it up if she didn't.

"How exactly does that work? You can just turn them off?"

Kara shook her head.

"I wish it was that easy. I have to rely on special lights…let me show you. Kelex, change to red solar light inside." the girl ordered.

Kelex flew in front of her and to Kara's surprise, scanned her body.

"I am sorry, Kara. I am unable to carry out that command."

Kara's face turned red, her anger quickly taking over as it often did when she was questioned or denied by the one thing on Earth, that should not be able to deny her anything.

"Why is that, Kelex? This had better be good."

"After you attempted to terminate your own life two years ago as of this date, Alex took command of the Fortress and placed constraints on my system that cannot be countermanded. I am to inform her if I suspect you of attempting to take your own life again and deny any measures which may assist you in this task. I have scanned your body and based on the amount of extraterrestrial alcohol in your system, if you were to lose your powers at this moment, your life would end in approximately eight seconds."

Kara's face was no longer red, going pale quickly. Barry tried to understand what the robot had just told him. Kara tried to kill herself? Alcohol that would…

His thoughts were cut off quickly when she grabbed his hand and pulled him back to where they had come from.

"Open the damn portal, Kelex. Now!"


	7. Chapter 7

Do not own CW or DC characters.

 **Chapter 7 Caves**

Barry had just been pulled into a portal of light once again and tried to orient himself to being inside Kara's closet back in National City.

He wasn't there long. Kara hit the closet door sending it flying into the room. She continued moving until she reached the living room and began pacing, then walking all around the apartment.

He caught a few glimpses of her face and saw…

Fear.

She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Kara?"

The girl said nothing, moving towards the fridge, slamming the fridge door and back into the bathroom, she came out with a water bottle, but Barry had a good idea that clear liquid was not water.

"Kara!"

The blonde had her back to him, at the window now. She drained over half the bottle. Barry walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She finally turned.

"If you want to leave, I understand. I can leave and you can sleep here. I will stay gone tonight. You shouldn't have to run back. Its late." she finally told him, the first words she had spoken and slightly slurred.

Barry shook his head and tried to gently pull her to the couch. The girl didn't budge.

"I don't want you to go anywhere. I don't want to go. You think you can talk to me? Was that…I guess robots can't really lie. One thing we always were able to do was be honest with each other." he tried, hoping to erase that look of fear that still graced her face. It worked but not in the intended fashion. Instead Kara laughed.

"You think I have been honest with you? I never told you I was an alien. I knew exactly what you were looking for and I kept it from you. I lied about why I couldn't talk to you anymore."

"To keep me safe."

"From me!" Kara shouted. "I wanted you safe from me. Yeah, Lex threatened you but I could have found you after Myriad, after his memories were gone. You knew who I was, there was no need to stay away. But…but…I couldn't. I don't even know what I am doing now. You can never love me. I won't allow it. I almost…I almost used you tonight. That's why I wanted the red lights on. I wanted to be with you, a guy I liked, I cared about, I wanted you. I wanted to see what it would be like, could be like to actually be with someone I truly wanted to be with."

Barry was surprised. He hadn't expected that. The man thought her only motive was to show him her history.

"You would have what you wanted." she continued. "I would have what I wanted and maybe you could see that I wasn't that different from other girls. Maybe you would have me out of your system. I used you tonight. Want to know the real reason I needed you here tonight?"

"Yes?" he answered cautiously.

"My family, and apparently everyone else I know from the DEO, were planning on having an intervention tonight! They think I am a drunk! Batman beats people to the point of brain death and he worries about me losing my temper! That's how bad I am. I am toxic."

"I don't believe that. Let's sit on the couch." Barry tried again. Instead she pulled her hand out of his and walked back to the window.

"You want to know the real me, Barry? Do you really? Fine. When Hank Henshaw found us, after the guys saved us, I burnt his arm off and crushed his leg, ground it to dust just to see him hurt. I was 13 and I loved the look of absolute fear on his face. I started burning myself, using my own heat vision on my arms. They would blister, blacken and stink and I did it because…I still don't know why! I broke my own fingers! Think about that! How sick does someone have to be to break their own fingers?" she finished, turning around.

Barry was shocked by her eyes. They were red, blood shot, a tear leaking from one but they mostly appeared manic.

"I cut myself with my fingernails, deep. When I was 14 on mine and Alex's birthday, I blew out candles on my cake and turned the cake to ice. Know how I dealt with it?"

Barry said nothing, watching the girl closely. He wasn't sure if she was even talking to him anymore.

"I ran to the bathroom, leaned against the door so no one could get in, and pierced my skin under my elbow, with my fingernails. I tried to find an artery and ripped my arm open in the attempt. I tried to kill myself. I killed my aunt and you want to know the sad part? If she were here I would do it again. I hate my parents on Krypton, I hate my entire House. When an alien challenges me, I take them to the desert and beat them to death. Sometimes I see Non and sometimes I see Clark's father. The DEO can contain the aliens, has holding cells, strike teams, everything you could want but all I leave them with is clean up. I do it because I love it."

Barry tried to walk closer to her but she moved to the other side of the room, circling the table and keeping it between them. He wasn't sure what to make of it, or how to handle this situation. Thoughts of Oliver's warning popped in his head but he dismissed them. Despite her appearance, he wasn't scared of her. Worried, frightened for her, but not scared of her. Even now, he knew she wouldn't hurt him.

It was her hurting herself he worried about and desperately wished Alex would hurry up and get home.

"Did you know I killed Ra's Al Ghul? I put a fist through his chest. I was the head of the League of Assassins for about five minutes. I still work with them. We are hunting a man named Damian Darhk and when I find him, I will probably kill him too. I'm sure Oliver Queen has talked to you by now, hasn't he? That hypocritical ass is the same as I am but he can't beat me so he fears me. I'm the bad guy, no matter how many bodies he dropped. I let him do what he did, until he crossed a line. That self-righteous bastard protected a monster."

Barry tensed, wondering if Kara had heard what Oliver said. Was she there or could she hear? Was there anywhere in the world she couldn't hear whether it was her own super hearing or whatever tech she had at that Fortress?

If she had, Barry seriously worried for Oliver's life right now.

"My family thinks I am an alcoholic. Maybe I am, but what else…who wouldn't be? My family from Krypton, my house, my grandfather, father and Clark's father were responsible for the destruction of our planet and my mother helped cover it up. I can never let Clark know this! Never! You saw him. He is everything I am not. He is the symbol the world needs to look to for hope. He believes in the goodness of this world, of people. If he found out the whole truth it would destroy him."

"You do a lot of good, Kara. People…"

"People? People fear me. Every government agency in the world is looking for a way to kill me. Kelex wasn't lying. Two years ago, I screwed in a red sunlight bulb in the bathroom, took a straight razor and slit my wrists. I lay down on the floor and waited to die. I didn't think about my sister finding me dead. I didn't think about my parents or Clark. All I wanted to do was die because I was too weak to live with the guilt and pain. I'm not strong. I'm a monster. Stay away from me, Barry. I am no good. I haven't been since I left Krypton. All I do is hurt the ones who love me the most."

Kara drained the second half of her bottle and threw the empty container towards the couch. She walked back to the window and slid it open.

"Stay here, or don't. I won't be back tonight. Tell Alex I won't kill myself. She might believe you, but I have lied to her before, about a lot of things. Just please stay away from me, Barry. You are the only guy I have ever met who makes me feel…the way I feel when I am around you. Stay away from me. I couldn't handle the guilt of what I would do to you. I told Grayson all the time and I am telling you the same thing now. There is no happiness to be found with me. Please save yourself. You have had enough hurt in your life. It was selfish of me to let things even get this far."

Kara took off without another word, flying so fast he had a hard time seeing her leave. He rushed over to the window but she was gone.

The man looked around the apartment and picked up the bottle on the floor by the kitchen. Barry wasn't sure how long he sat, a few minutes or an hour. It couldn't have been that long because he heard keys in the door and Alex walked in quickly with a smile.

A smile that slowly went away when she didn't see Kara.

"Is she in the bedroom changing? She wants to go to a club? Please tell me she is changing and wants to go to a club."

Barry shook his head.

"We went into her closet, arrived in a secret ice castle in Antarctica and a flying robot who sounded like Loki told her he couldn't turn the red lights on because the alcohol in her system would kill her without her powers." the man explained.

Alex nearly collapsed but caught herself on the table.

"The robot told her you had set up some conditions after she tried to kill herself?" he added, questioningly.

Alex said nothing for a moment but did place her elbows and the table and put her head in her hands.

"Where is she?"

Barry shrugged his shoulders, kind of numb at the moment, not knowing what to do.

"She said to tell you she wouldn't kill herself and would be back tomorrow."

"Okay…did she wear her suit? Any of them?"

Barry shook his head. "She did drink a bottle of a clear liquid I am pretty sure wasn't water." he offered.

Alex reached into her pocket and pulled out her com.

"Kelex, I need Scarlett on the roof quickly. Stealth mode when you land her. Does Kara have her phone?"

"No." the robot answered.

"You are an asshole, Kelex. You know that?"

"I did as I was programmed and followed your protocols." Kelex reasonably explained, making her want to shoot him at the moment. She knew it wasn't his fault. He saved Kara's life. Now Alex had to get to Kara before she did anything else stupid.

"Did she take any bottles with her?"

Barry shook his head and stood up, not quite sure what to do but unable to sit.

"Okay…okay. I know where she is going. I will be only a little behind her." Alex reasoned, speaking to herself. Barry caught that, however.

"How are you going to catch her? She could be in space. She could be anywhere and she can fly faster than any jet." he reasoned.

"She flies around Mach 2 normally, but when she is drunk she is slower, slightly under Mach 1. My jet goes faster and she will also get lost a few times. She can navigate by the stars but when she is seeing double…it doesn't matter. I won't be back tonight. Take one of the beds, take the couch…Barry…"

Alex hesitated, not sure if she should say what she knew she had to. Honestly at this point, she had no idea…yes, she did.

"Barry, I have to do something. I can't let her go on like this, Mom and Dad can't. She…I know you two kind of just found each other again…and she really likes you, she does. I've never seen her act the way she acts around you with any guy. It's like she is lovesick teenager. But …you need to stay away for a while."

Barry was surprised. He thought Alex might ask him for help, to try and talk to Kara, but stay away? They had just found each other again. He had to stay away for six years! He thought he would never speak to her, have to watch from a distance and never get to hear her voice.

The more he thought about it, the more upset he became.

"Are you seriously telling me to stay away from your sister because she has problems? Because it seems to me that she needs all the people who care about her around her. She will think I am abandoning her. She told me to stay away from her. If I do…"

Alex raised her hand to stop him.

"I like you, Barry. Honestly, I have always thought you were the only one she could ever truly love. She lights up around you in a way I have never seen her light up around any guy. But right now, she has so many things she needs to work on or she will never be happy. When she is ready, yeah, go for it. I will let you know everything that is going on, but you are going to have to trust me. She hates herself and she is becoming even more out of control and for Kara, that is impressive. What about you, Barry? You lost your father not long ago, went through a lot of traumatic stuff. Have you worked it all out? Because you need to and taking care of her is not going to allow you to do that. You are going to have to trust me and let me do what needs to be done."

Barry looked at the floor, not sure what to say. Yeah, maybe he hadn't dealt with his father's death, maybe even his mother's, but Kara was the one bright spot he had.

Had he been planning on focusing on her instead of working his own issues out?

"How long?" he finally asked.

"I don't know. I do know that you will wait for her. I can see it when you look at her. Until she is okay she won't be able to have what she could have with you. We have been working for eleven years and trust me, if not for therapy she would have lost her mind a long time ago. But it's not working anymore. I need to save my sister."

Kelex cut in to inform Alex that her personal hover jet was two minutes out.

"Okay. Keep me informed?" he asked.

"I will. Don't give up, Barry. She is under there and I am going to bring her back. I have brought her back from the edge before but this time, this time is going to be tougher. I have to go. She won't be able to contact anyone for a month at least, maybe three, maybe longer."

That caught Barry by surprise. He had thought Alex was simply going to talk her into coming home.

"What are you planning to do?"

Alex looked at the floor and then met Barry's eyes.

"Something we should have done a long time ago. She is getting help, whether she wants it or not. She may hate me forever but I won't let her die. Something else before I go. If you ever want to talk to someone, someone who can know everything about you, that you wouldn't have to keep secrets like being the Flash from, Jess is good. She has kept Kara and me sane for years. I hope you will think about it."

Barry shook his head.

"You think I need therapy, huh?"

"Do you think I need it? I go three times a week. It doesn't mean something is wrong with you. We all need help sometimes, right? The stuff we see and have to do, the decisions and the pressure, it gets to us. Don't be afraid to address it. She is good. Lock the door before you leave in the morning. I'll text you in a couple days. I'm putting an end to this tonight."

Alex left the apartment, running towards the roof. Once she reached it, she could see it in the distance, though it was hard to make out. In stealth mode it was nearly silent, no running lights, no loud engines. The machine was powered by a small Phantom Drive and could hit incredible speeds and turn on a dime. The bottom opened over her and a pack fell to the roof. Alex slipped on the suit, not very different from her normal suit but slightly bulkier and better able to handle the G forces she would experience when she hit supersonic.

Alex flew herself, the feel of controlling the aircraft soothing as it often was. Kelex was capable, but in the field, she was the one who made the moves required for combat in the air. Two hours after takeoff, she slowed and brought the jet just above the tree lines then floating above a set of woods she knew very well. She could see her home from the top, the lights off but night vision picking it up easily. A rope descended as she moved to the back of the craft and Alex grabbed a pulse rifle and slid to the ground.

She only walked a short distance, wishing she had placed her helmet on but knowing it would do no good. It was the top of her head she always seemed to hit in that damn entrance.

As Alex suspected, the large boulder they had used to protect the entrance in High School, was in place.

"Kara, open up your rock. I know you are in there."

Where else would she be? Like the first time Alex found her, whenever Kara was lost she wound up in this damn hole in the ground.

Hearing no movement, Alex briefly thought of having her helmet dropped from above so she could use infrared, but then shook the thought off. Kara was in there.

"Last chance." Alex warned.

Counting to ten and hearing nothing, Alex grabbed the pulse rifle from her back and fired, turning the formerly large boulder to dust.

Slipping the rifle on her back she made her way inside, determined not to hit her head.

"Ouch! Damn this rock!"

Alex failed at her first task. It would be the last failure she had tonight.

The cave was complete darkness, but she knew the open cavern well. It wasn't large by any means. The hole in the top had been covered long ago and the boulder at the front kept too much rain from getting in, so it wasn't flooded as it used to be this time of year.

Alex heard Kara's breathing and knew she was pressed against the wall in the back-right corner. Her knees would be drawn up and her arms wrapped around them, trying to hold herself together.

"You broke my rock." Kara told her, obviously drained and a bit drunk still, judging by her voice.

"I told you it was your last chance."

Kara snorted in the dark. Alex sat next to her, their legs touching, and wrapped her in her arms.

"Talk to me." the older sister ordered. "You haven't hurt yourself, have you?"

She could feel Kara's head shake.

"I think…I hurt Barry."

Alex squeezed tighter and kissed her head. "Barry is a big boy and he wasn't hurt. He is worried about you. We all are. Have you had anything to drink since you left our place?"

"No." Kara told her.

Alex believed her. She would know when it was safe. When Kara started to shake, she was sobering up. Alex just had to keep her talking, keep her from leaving until then. "I can't believe I told him what I told him tonight. I told him everything. He knows everything. He is probably never going to talk to me again."

"I wouldn't worry about that." the brunette assured her. "If he knew where you were he would have come after you."

Kara sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"You didn't tell him?"

"Sister secrets, right? This is our place. I love and hate this place. It was where I found my little brother and sister and it's also the place you run to, to forget about everything. We used to fight, Kara. We fought whatever or whoever thought it could beat us. When you had panic attacks because of storms, you walked out in the rain and stood there, every storm until you finally beat it. That is a night I will never forget. The four of us standing in that storm. I thought we would be struck by lightning. You were so scared but so brave. I knew that night, when you said it wouldn't beat you, I knew it wouldn't. Me and you don't lose, right?"

Kara laughed softly.

"Eliza asked me if we could beat the storm inside next time." she remembered. "She was soaked. We all were but she had been to the salon the day before. Her hair…I would have found it funny if I wasn't so scared. I still don't like storms. I have stood inside a tornado and not flinched but I still hate them. I hate explosions. I hate seeing dead bodies. I hate seeing dead children. I hate so many things."

"And you are still scared of a lot of things. So am I, but we can't let that stop us from living life. There is more to life than what we do. We used to know that. You need help remembering it. You need help, Kara. Jess is not what you need anymore. You need to be somewhere safe, somewhere you can get help with the problems you still have."

Kara shook her head.

"I can't Alex. I'll start seeing Jess more than I have been, no excuses, but you know I can't stop. What about the kids? A lot of kids expect to see me every week. Some of them don't have much time. Should I just abandon them?"

"J'onn can play you for a few months."

"Months?! Alex be serious."

Alex began running her fingers through Kara's hair. Eliza figured out long ago that it soothed her. It may not have been a cure all but it worked in the short term.

"I am serious. You and me. No crime fighting, no saving anyone, just the two of us, getting help." her sister told her.

"Getting me help you mean."

"There is no me. It's we. We have always been there for each other, at each other's side, ever since I found you in this hole in the ground. There is always going to be a we. If one of us is messed up, both of us are. Kara…why did you even take Barry to the Fortress?"

Kara said nothing for a long while, thinking of different reasons, anything that sounded good. In the end she decided it was best to be honest. It usually was with Alex and her sister already knew the answer anyway. The blonde stood up and began waking in circles. The cave was dark but her eyesight was getting better. That meant she was sobering up. The shaking would start soon and, in her hurry, to leave she had not taken a bottle of anything.

"I was going to screw him. I figured the guy got me out of an intervention, so he deserved something out of it. I thought maybe if I gave him what he wanted he could go back to Central City and it would be easier to keep this thing, whatever it is, on a physical level. Physical I can handle."

Alex shook her head, standing up as well. She had suspected that and Kara confirmed it. Her younger sister had used Grayson for years, used him physically for comfort but always kept her distance emotionally. Barry tended to break down Kara's walls, so she planned to have sex with him, see him on her terms. Control was everything to Kara, as far as others went. It was self-control she had a problem with.

"I think he is wanting more than that." Alex told her.

"He can't have it. He just lost his father. The last thing he needs is me screwing up his life."

"I agree." Alex told her, surprising the blonde. "You can't be what he wants, what you want, right now, but you could be, one day. Maybe if you would love yourself as much as you love others…Kara, you are shaking. It's only been a few hours."

"I know how long it has been, Alex. I need to go anyway. There is a bar in Raleigh I found out about. Just a night cap. I should be going back regardless. Maybe I can show up for work on time. Cat may have a heart attack if she saw me there before she was."

Alex shook her head. "It's Friday…Saturday now, remember? Why don't you fly beside me or even ride with me? We can get some sleep this morning till noon and maybe play on the beach with Clark?"

Kara shook her head. "I have work to do, Alex. Someone is in trouble. Someone is always in trouble. I have to check in with Nyssa and find out if Darhk has been found. I have hospitals to visit. I've never been to the Children's Hospital in Nashville. I have cults to bust up, people worshipping that stupid symbol. I thought it would be a great way to draw Astra and Non out. Instead Cat turned it into this great symbol of all that is right in the world. At least the money it brings in can help children and save lives. It can do some good." she mumbled. "I have to go."

"No!" Alex nearly shouted, grabbing her hand and trying to pull her back. She had never been able to and tonight was no different. "Please stay, for a little while. I love being back here. We can pretend we are eating sticky buns again and you can sing to me."

Kara laughed, despite the shaking that was spreading throughout her whole body.

"I haven't sung in a long time or played the guitar for that matter. I just haven't had it in me. Most days I want to hide under the covers, forget about the world. Remember my perfect world that brain sucking plant showed me? I still have those memories. They are strong, like I lived them. The memories never went away. I'll see Jess more, open up more than I have been but that is the best I can do. I really have to go. Be careful on the flight back. Watch out for commercial flight paths."

Kara walked out, Alex following.

"You won't agree to get help? To dry out and stay away from alcohol, control your anger and depression…"

"Alex!" Kara shouted. "I don't have time for that. The world needs me. I really have to go."

Alex followed the blonde outside the cave. "Take my com. Your shirt is almost shredded from the wind shear. I have another com in the jet. Just grab a shirt and jacket from the house. Some of our stuff should be in the closet still. The key is the same place it has always been."

After a quick hug and assurance that Alex would be in National City after she checked on the Midvale home, the brunette watched her sister fly off then took a deep breath.

Her pulse was racing and sweat was beginning to form on her brow.

"I hope you forgive me for this, Kara."

Taking out her phone, she sent the text.

Kara had taken off quickly, changed into a new shirt and jeans she had found and was building speed. She was a minute and a half from the bar by her estimation. Before she could land a voice was in her ear.

"Supergirl." Batman greeted her. "I need you in my cave immediately. We have an alien threat trying to kill a friend of mine."

"Oh, okay Bruce. I am on the East Coast. I need to make a stop and I will be there."

"No." the man's deep voice called. "I need you now. Fly here immediately. I am not sure how long we have until the alien plans to attack."

Kara cursed inside. She needed a drink to make the shaking stop but Bruce never called her with this much urgency.

Deciding she would just deal with the shaking, Kara bypassed the bar and flew straight for Gotham City. The blonde made up her mind that she would beat this. She didn't have a problem and she would show everyone. Maybe then they would leave her alone about it.

 **National City**

Eliza received a text from Alex at 6 AM. It had begun. 

The woman felt sick to her stomach. What her and Jeremiah were about to do would be the hardest thing they had ever done in their lives. She knew it would be bad, she knew Kara would possibly never forgive them.

It was a risk that was necessary. They no longer had a choice.

"Clark is up." her husband told her, quietly entering the kitchen. Eliza worried for a split second, wondering if he had tried to follow Kara. A quick check out the kitchen window relaxed her. The boy was on the beach, sitting with his knees drawn up and arms wrapped around them, a position he had picked up from Kara. When her daughter was upset she retreated into herself, curling up into a ball almost. Now Clark was doing the same.

"He is on the beach."

Jeremiah nodded, expecting as much and moved back to the bedroom with Eliza to dress for the day. Ten minutes later they walked out to the beach and sat next to their son. He didn't greet them, instead staring out over the water. Perhaps he was looking at a sail boat far off but they both doubted it. Jeremiah made the opening move.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, skipping the preambles. He knew everything about his son and knew when he was upset. This morning something was bothering him greatly. Clark never got out of bed before nine on a Saturday morning, yet here it was, 6 AM and both parents knew he had not slept the night before.

Clark shrugged his shoulders.

"It is better to let it out." Eliza assured him. "Keeping things inside will make you…"

"Like Kara?" the boy finished for her, knowing she would never say it and knowing what she meant. "I listened to her after she left. I know I'm not supposed to but you were all worried about her and I wanted to make sure she was okay."

Both parents' minds were racing. They had scolded him many times about listening to Kara and Alex when the girls were not present. Not only was it an invasion of privacy, it was also an opportunity for Clark to hear things he did not need to hear.

"Okay. I won't bother telling you that you shouldn't have." Jeremiah told him. "You already know that. Something last night bothered you though. You haven't slept, have you?"

"Is it true? Did mine and Kara's parents destroy Krypton? That's why that lady was so mad at us when she broke into our house, mad at me. She said my father on Krypton was a…is it true?"

Eliza and Jeremiah tried to school their faces but it didn't work. Clark caught the glances they gave each other and knew.

"It is true. That's why, isn't it? That's why Kara is always sad. She knows. Its why she hurts herself and drinks so much. Its why she tried to kill herself, isn't it? Please don't lie to me. I want to know the truth. Kara said last night it would destroy me, that I could never know. I want to know though. If it is true, I want to know."

Jeremiah placed an arm around his boy. True to form, Clark leaned into him as he always did.

"You are our son. That man does not matter. What happened there, it just doesn't matter and has nothing to do with you."

"How did they do it? Kara's father and mine? My mother was to blame too, wasn't she? How did they do it? Did they do it on purpose? Is that why Kara's aunt wanted to hurt me so bad?"

Eliza shook her head quickly. "That woman wanted to hurt us all because she was evil, sick, twisted."

"But Kara loved her." the boy told them. "And Kara killed her, to protect me."

"To protect all of us." Jeremiah told him quickly. "No, your parents and Kara's father did not do it on purpose. They did cover it up, not tell anyone. Instead they did one thing right, they got you and Kara off that planet. The two of you are here, you belong to us and the past doesn't matter."

"It matters to Kara. She drinks too much. She shakes. Is she hurting herself again? Is she going to try and kill herself again? I am afraid not to listen to her. I am afraid I am going to lose her. I can't lose her."

"You won't." Eliza told him quickly, standing up. "We are doing…something. She is going to be away for a little while and get better. You are going to stay with Jess and Mr. Connolly and…"

"I want to be where she is." Clark told her, standing up himself. Jeremiah took a deep breath and stood as well. He had hoped Clark would remain calm while he was sitting, but that wouldn't be the case. Today even the sight of the ocean the boy loved so much would not help.

"You have school." Clark's Dad reminded him.

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to Kara." Eliza told him. "She has kept this a secret since you both landed here. She didn't want you to know because she didn't want you living with the burden."

"I am not a child!" the boy yelled. Both parents were surprised. Clark never yelled.

The two stood in front of their little boy, only eleven but he had grown since last night and not for the better. Eliza decided to take the lead.

"All Kara has ever wanted was for you to be happy. She has done everything to protect you, everything to make sure you are happy. She is the one who took care of you when you were born, when you arrived. When you were hearing loud sounds and smelling thing you never smelled before, seeing through things, she took care of you. Kara taught you to fly, she showed up in costume at your birthday parties, she has worked hard to make the symbol she wears something you can be proud of."

Clark turned away from the two, staring back at the ocean.

"How many people has she killed?" he asked quietly, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Jeremiah took a deep breath, his heart racing.

"As many as it has taken to make you safe, to make the world safe. She doesn't like it, but she does what is necessary. Alex does as well. Everything they do comes down to one thing, keeping their family safe. Now I need to ask you for something. I need you to be strong for Kara. She needs our help now because she is facing an enemy that she cannot beat on her own."

"Alex always helps her." Clark pointed out.

"And she always will. Those two have been stuck on each other since they met. They formed a bond before Kara even knew how to speak English. Maybe one day, Kara can tell you what happened on Krypton, but I know you love her. Because you love her, you cannot ask her now. She has too much going on and can't deal with that pain. I will tell you everything once she is better, but you can't ask her."

"You know?" the boy asked, surprised. He had thought only Alex and Kara really knew everything.

"Yes, I do. I will tell you, once I know that Kara is okay. You have to promise me to never ask her. Can you do that?"

Clark thought about it but not for long. As unfortunate as it was, he knew he would get the truth from his Dad while Kara would only tell him things she thought he needed to know, meaning nothing. He nodded his head.

"Okay." Eliza said, letting out a breath she had been holding. "Come inside and pack a few things. You will be able to get your clothes every morning from here but you shouldn't have to open the house every time you want something like your toothbrush. Connolly will help you bring your video games and anything else you want, later. Me and your father must go. Kara needs us. I will let you know what is going on, keep you updated. I hope soon you can see her. Until then I need you to be a good boy for them. No flying, or eaves dropping, no trouble. Got it?"

"Yes Mom. I promise. I won't say anything about this to Kara, but when you get back, I want to know everything."

Jeremiah patted him on the back. "I promise, and I have never broken a promise to you."

Clark nodded his head then looked up sharply, peering at the house.

"Lobo is here." the boy told him. "Want me to beat him up? My heat vision is feeling good today. Kara said it is harder to control but more powerful when I am mad. I'm a little mad right now."

Jeremiah told the two to stay outside and moved towards the house, walking into the living room from the deck. Like Clark said, the man was standing there, all seven feet of him. He wore a large brown jacket with a hood and black leather pants, black boots and a belt with a silver skull on it.

"Sorry, I helped myself in. Since this planet knows about aliens now, I can't move around as easily as I used to. In the past, people were afraid to look at me too closely. Now they want to put me on Facebook and Instagram."

"If you are here, I am guessing you found what I need?"

The large Czarnian pulled a plastic bag from his coat pocket.

"Got it from Avalon. You know you can find a portal to that planet in Britain? A lot of the old stories are based on…"

"Lobo, I would love to hear your stories…not really. Kara needs this. What exactly have you found out about it?"

"It's the equivalent of St. John's Wort without the side effects. Its subtle, consistent. It should work if she has her powers and won't kill her if she doesn't. At least the plant won't. I can't speak for what you are making with it. If she has her powers, I would suggest upping the dose. If she loses her powers for any reason she is going to be very sedated on a higher dose."

Jeremiah silently agreed, staring at the plants in the bag. If it worked Lobo could get more. He had to worry about a great many things, like he had when he made Kara immune to Kryptonite. Suicidal thoughts and actions were the most prevalent in his mind as was the risk in some antidepressants in the first two months of treatment. This herb would help but the rest of the components were the truly dangerous ones. This meant Kara would need inpatient treatment for three months at least. He had no idea what other side effects were possible but would have time to study them. If this worked it could be the medication Kara had needed since she was 13.

"How much do I owe you? Name your price." Jeremiah told him.

Lobo shook his head.

"Your daughters are my friends. Just get her better. I don't want her to live like…me. I'll be sticking around the planet for a while so let your Martian friend know."

"Any reason you are sticking around?" the man asked warily. Lobo had fought by Kara and Alex's side but the father never forgot who he was dealing with, a monster who killed all life on his home planet.

"With Kara out of action, some things might get hairy on Earth. The Green Lanterns have…"

"I'm sorry," Jeremiah interrupted, "what is a Green Lantern?"

"Cosmic police. They call themselves a Corp, at least that's what the human Lanterns call themselves. They are supposed to protect sectors of the universe from galactic threats. They stay out for the most part unless they have to become involved. Since your blonde daughter popped up, they leave Earth alone, even if there are four of them here. But recently some Reds have been on Earth. That can't be good."

"What is a Red?" the man asked cautiously.

"Nothing you want to know or meet. Angry, powerful, easy to piss off and crazy when you do piss them off. Not something you need to worry about. I will keep an eye on them. Get your daughter better."

Lobo left Jeremiah standing in the living room, holding a bag of extraterrestrial plants that he hoped to use to develop an anti-depressant for his youngest daughter. As always it seemed, if he succeeded it could help her and if he failed, made the slightest mistake, it could be catastrophic.

"We can do it. Me, you, Alex, we can do it, Jeremiah." Eliza told him. He had been so lost in thought he hadn't heard her. Both their phones alerted them to texts.

It was Alex.

/She is being taken to the facility right now. See you both there/

A tear slipped from Eliza's eye.

"She is going to feel betrayed. She is going to hate us." the woman whispered.

"She hasn't left us a choice. She has lost weight, is shaking, taking damage in fights she shouldn't, starting fights she doesn't need to. I swore to her I would protect her. If hating me is the price of doing that, I will accept it."

 **Gotham City- Bat cave**

Kara flew to the front of the Mansion. The door was unlocked but to her surprise, Alfred wasn't waiting for her. He usually greeted her at the door when he knew she was coming. If he was in the Bat Cave things must be serious. She checked below, looking through bedrock and inside the cave. Alfred was there, as was a suited-up Bruce Wayne. Bruce was watching Brother Eye, images from around the world lighting up, alerting him to danger, terror plots, known criminals surfacing, any number of things. 

Taking the elevator down, Kara walked confidently out and headed straight to the large computer. Bruce did not turn around at first, his head down. Pulling off his cowl, the dark man turned towards her. She noted Alfred had walked away without a word and seriously began to wonder what was up. Both were acting out of character. Alfred hadn't even greeted her.

"Bruce? I came here, as you requested. Emergency, remember? Alien attacking your friend?"

"Your hands are shaking." he told her quietly, irritating the blonde.

"I can handle myself. What species are we dealing with?" she asked, trying to control her hands, clenching her fists in a hope to stop the tremors.

"Kryptonian." Batman answered. Alfred flicked a switch, bathing the large lair in red light. Kara felt the loss of power instantly and began to panic but kept her face calm.

"You told me once that you wanted me to stop you if you ever went out of control. You said I would do what needed to be done, what your family could never do. I am doing that now. Supergirl is trying to kill my friend, Kara Danvers. I won't let that happen. Kara Danvers is important to me. You are going to a facility that you will not leave until Kara Danvers is back. I'm not giving you a choice."

Kara was too surprised to even move, reeling from the loss of power and Bruce's words. She never heard Alfred walk up behind her and barely noticed the pinch in her neck when he injected her with a sedative.

The last thing she saw before she passed out was Bruce Wayne catching her before she hit the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 8 Withdrawal**

Kara woke up, feeling many things, none of them good.

Her head was foggy and she couldn't seem to think clearly.

Her eye sight was blurred.

Her stomach felt like it was being twisted inside painfully.

Her heart was racing and she was sweating, clammy and cold.

Her head felt like it had split.

Her skin felt like it was being poked by thousands of needles, all over her body, even her scalp.

Lying still for a moment, the bad feelings did not go away but her eyesight did clear. She was on her back, staring at the ceiling of a room, a room lit by fluorescent light builds with a …red tint.

Bruce Wayne.

Bruce Wayne had set her up, lured her in a trap and drugged her. She remembered he had given her some reason but could not remember what it was. What had it been? Did it matter? A guy she considered one of her best friends, one of her few friends, a guy she would and had gone to war with, who she had sat up at nights with, talking about the darkness inside them, he had turned on her, betrayed her.

Why hadn't he killed her? He was keeping her here under red sunlight. She was weak, drugged, and sick. Was the man going to keep her in a cage? She had no doubt she was in a cage. He wouldn't have put her under red sunlight if she could be able to walk out of wherever she was.

Deciding that lying there was not going to get her anywhere, Kara sat up slowly, propping herself on both elbows. To her horror, she saw Alex sitting beside her. Alex was in a chair next to the bed she was on.

"Alex?! He got you too? How did he get you? Do you know where he is? Where are we? Just relax. We have been in worse situations. I made most of his tech and I know how he fights. If he thinks I am less dangerous without my powers…I'm going to kill that man. I…look, I don't feel so good right now. He drugged me with something…if we can find a way to turn off those red lights I should feel better. Can you reach them? If you stood on my shoulders, could you bust them?"

Kara tried to stand and nearly fell. Alex moved out of the chair quickly and caught her. Standing up, but still holding onto Alex for support, she looked around. The room was strange. It appeared to be a hotel room of some sort but everything was padded. There wasn't a head board to the twin bed, the legs were wrapped in some sort of white padding.

"Be careful. Let me help you. You have been asleep for ten hours." Alex told her. "How do you feel?"

Kara took stock of her situation. She noted that someone had changed her into a t shirt and pajama bottoms of all things. Alex was wearing the same clothes she had seen her in…was it last night? Why had Wayne changed Kara and not Alex? Did Alex change her? Where did she get the clothes from? This set had been…over at her parents' house.

"Alex, what is going on?" the girl asked. Alex was calm, too calm. Not that her sister ever panicked in tough situations but Alex seemed to know a lot more than Kara at this moment and the blonde did not like it.

"We had you brought here. Bruce brought you here because I…we, Mom, Dad and me, asked him to. Would you listen to me? Let me explain?"

Explain? Kara must have been hallucinating, because Alex would never have her drugged and brought her anywhere.

"What is going on, Alex?"

Alex took a deep breath. Kara's face was shifting constantly, going from confusion, fear, anger and now a mixture of all three.

"Kara, the shaking, the drinking, you were killing yourself. You wouldn't let us help you so we had to take matters into our own hands. We brought you somewhere you could get help, get the alcohol out of your system and think clearly."

Kara pushed Alex away from her, backing up to the bed then walking around it.

"Who are you? Are you a White Martian? Lex cloned my sister? J'onn? Is it you, J'onn?"

Alex walked around the bed with her hands up.

"It's me, Kara. Its Alex."

Kara pushed the woman away again.

"My Alex, my sister would never do something like this! Who are you?! Where am I?! I want to know now! Stop lying to me or I will kill you!"

"Take me to Church. It was the last song you played, two months ago. I came over and you were playing on your guitar. You love that song. You …"

"Stop!" Kara screamed. "You are a White Martian! You read her mind or something! Where is she? I swear I will burn you. You better kill me because if you don't, when I get out I will fly to Mars and wipe that planet clean of you scum! I will burn you all! What did you do with her?!"

"I'm not a damn White Martian, Kara! Why would Bruce be working with White Martians? Ask me anything. I will prove to you…"

"You could have learned anything about me. My Alex would never trap me in a cage. Never!"

Alex flinched again, and she supposed the guilt must have shown because Kara stopped moving back, understanding dawning on her face.

"Alex? Why…why would you do this? You of all people? You are the only…no…there must be some reason. There has to be some reason. Does Bruce have our family? Did he tell you to take me?"

"Kara, please calm down. You are getting worked up and right now you really don't need to be. You haven't had alcohol in fifteen hours. I gave you a sedative but they will only work so long. I'm lucky it's even working a little on you. Despite not having your powers, your blood type is different and you are going to be going through…"

"You have been keeping me sedated?! No! No, I refuse to believe that. You are…you are…not you. Anybody but you. It couldn't happen, isn't happening. I…if you are Alex then get me out of here."

"Kara…"

"Right now, damn it!" the blonde screamed.

"Okay, just try and calm down. Mom and Dad are outside and want to talk to you. Will you listen to us? Just please listen."

Kara caught that quickly. Mom and Dad? Their parents would never leave Clark alone. Deciding she really had no other option if she wanted to escape, perhaps if she played along, she could find an opening, anything to get away from these impostors and find her real family.

"Fine. I am calm. Please take me to our parents, Alex." the blonde agreed, catching Alex off guard for a second with her change in tone. Kara would appease her and look for a chance to escape the first chance she got. Having no other option, Alex decided to take her outside.

The two walked out into a hallway and to Kara's frustration even the damn hallway was doused in red sunlight and she still felt like hell. She had not felt like this in…a while. Opening a white door, the two walked into a larger room with a circular red couch in the middle. Seated on it were her mother and father, or aliens impersonating them, a woman with amber eyes and long, flowing red hair, who Kara did not recognize. This must be the leader of the group, whoever they were. There was also a man seated whose back was to her but she recognized the hair. Bruce Wayne was here. The girl could not decide if someone had impersonated him and Alfred to take her out or if he was working with new aliens now. In the past Bruce and J'onn would be the two people outside of her family, she would absolutely trust. She had her therapist and her friends who had always looked out for her as well but they weren't here.

The door opened and to Kara's shock, J'onn walked in, in his true Martian form. She met his eyes and something about them…

Kara had always been able to read J'onn's moods. If this was an impostor he was doing a great job, because J'onn did not look stoic or angry. Today, right now, he looked sad.

That was J'onn. He would never work with White Martians. That meant this had to really be her family. She walked into the one opening and stood in the middle of the circle. Bruce Wayne met her eyes, and as usual she could read nothing in them. A shapeshifter would at least pretend to have some emotion. Only Bruce Wayne had that poker face.

"Kara, why don't you have a seat next to me?" Alex asked, touching her arm. Kara flinched and moved away quickly.

"Don't touch me." the girl hissed. She then walked to the one section as far away as everyone. Taking in her family and who she thought were her friends, she realized it was all real. Bruce had drugged her, they had been in on it. They had captured her and brought her to a very nice red sunlit prison.

Alex sat as close as she could, which wasn't very. Looking at her parents, hoping one of them would explain what was going on, she was very relieved when the Doctor they were relying on took the lead.

"Hello, Kara. My name is Dr. Shay Veritas. Feel free to call me Shay."

"What can I do for you Dr. Veritas?" Kara asked coldly.

The woman met the blonde's eyes and did not appear effected by Kara's cold tone.

"It is what your family and friends are doing for you that we are here to talk about. They are concerned…"

"They should be." Kara interrupted.

"They are concerned you are a danger to yourself. I understand you have been drinking every day, quite a lot. I have learned that if you had lost your powers last night you would have died. I also know that you have a history of depression, anxiety, PTSD…"

"I'm impressed, Doctor." Kara interrupted once again. "You have done your homework. Trust me, when I get out of here I will find everything about you. You have all my attention now. There might be a dagger in the wall of your residence when you return home one day. You are going to let me out of this place or I will find a way out on my own and you will wish you had never heard my name, much less researched me. When I feel yellow rays, I am coming for you, whoever you are."

"Kara!" Eliza snapped.

Veritas held up her hand. "Its fine, Eliza. Kara is upset. She is confused and not feeling well, are you? You need help before you purposely or inadvertently kill yourself."

Kara stood up and looked around the room.

"So this is an intervention? All you had to do was ask! You thought you would drug me?! Take me against my will and place me in a prison?!"

"We have asked several times and you avoid talking about it every time." Alex told her.

"Shut up." Kara hissed. "Don't talk to me. I trusted you the most. I have trusted you with my life and this is what you do?! You want an intervention? Fine! Let's have an intervention and then I am getting the hell out of here! All of you can stay the hell away from me! Clark and I can live in the Fortress where Kryptonians belong! That's what I am, right? That's what he is! Is he next? Is he here now?!"

"Would you sit, please?" Veritas asked.

Kara clutched her stomach and suddenly felt as if she would vomit. She was also shaking and the tremors were becoming worse. Deciding she couldn't take Bruce Wayne in this condition, the blonde would bide her time.

"Say what you all want to say." she ordered as she sat.

Jeremiah cleared his throat.

"I made a promise to you when I met you. I told you I would always protect you. Kara, you need help. You are becoming out of control. The drinking, not sleeping, the anger problems, the suicide attempt two years ago and another I am sure is not far off. It has to stop. We didn't want to do this, but you wouldn't come here on your own."

"It was my decision!" Kara shouted. "At least all Zor El ever did was ignore me, not trap me! You…you let this happen? You planned it? You think this is protecting me? You are supposed to be my father, not my jailer! Some promise! You betrayed me and captured me and are saying you did it for me? You are supposed to be my father?! Am I that much of a disappointment that you want to lock me away?"

Jeremiah took a deep breath. He remembered what Veritas told him. Kara would lash out, say hurtful things and if they argued, she will have succeeded in changing the subject.

"It was your decision until you became incapable of making good decisions. We have looked the other way, pretended not to notice when you were drunk, watched you get beaten on television because you were drunk. I said I would protect you and I am. If you hate me for it I understand but I will always love you. You have always wanted to be human. When humans are in the condition you are in they are hospitalized until they are no longer a danger to themselves. That is what is happening here. I won't apologize for it."

Kara listened, shocked at his words. He thought he was doing her a favor?

"You should have let Henshaw have me, if you were just going to lock me up whenever you wanted." she told him. "Congratulations Daddy. You have your science experiment where you want her. I hope Clark never tries to lead his own life. I had hoped he would never know what a cage felt like but I doubt that is the case. Just make sure he has an X Box in his cell. Can you put him next to mine so we can talk?"

To Jeremiah it felt as if she had slapped him in the face. He knew she was terrified of cages, terrified of Clark being in one and just threw it in his face.

"I don't want this, Kara. I want you to participate and get better so you can live. The sooner you get better, the sooner you can leave. I don't want to watch you die." he continued. "I love you. I will always love you and nothing you say is going to change that. No matter how you feel about this or me, I won't apologize."

"Thank you, Jeremiah." Shay told him. "Bruce, would you like to say something?"

Kara turned and stared at the man. Of course he looked back at her. The two had staring contests often when goofing around after making some gadget or another. This time Kara would not be making goofy faces, trying to make him smile.

"Yeah, Batman. Have something to say?" the girl asked, standing up and crossing her arms.

Bruce stood up as well and stepped near her. When he was in arms reach, Kara struck, hitting him in the jaw. The man took the shot but did not show any effect from the strike.

"There was a time, even without your powers, you would have floored me with that shot. You look like hell. You've lost weight. You aren't supposed to lose weight, Kara. Your eyes are always bloodshot. You look like someone who is dying." Bruce told her.

"We have, to your father's great disapproval, always understood each other. You have been one of the few bright spots in my life. You are my friend and my friend is dying. I can't stand by and lose more family. I couldn't do anything about my parents, but I can do something about this. I would say the world needs you, but they don't matter anymore. The world existed before you landed. Your family needs you. You can stay here, look for opportunities to escape or you can get better, be the person I know is in there. Be that person, that eighteen-year-old girl who despite all her power came to me and asked me for help. I have asked you for help. There is no shame in asking for help. You taught me that. It takes courage, something I know you have. If nothing else would you do it for your cousin, if not for yourself? You may hate me for the rest of my life, the rest of yours, and I can take that, if it means you get what you need here. I made the decision to do what I did…"

"With their approval." Kara told him, pointing to her parents and Alex.

"And I would do it again. We always have said we have to make the tough calls. I made one."

"You made the wrong call."

"No, I didn't." he told her and went back to his seat. "When you see someone jump off a building, trying to commit suicide, you catch them. You caught people twice last year. I see you jumping off a building and I won't let you fall."

"Go to hell, Bruce Wayne. I suppose since you are all so friendly now they will let you keep having access to the Fortress. That's good. I would hate to see you without your toys. If it weren't for your weapons you are just a rich guy with anger issues that are as big as mine! Kelex needs visual confirmation that I am unable to command the Fortress before the next in line takes over. Just saying I am not ambulatory doesn't matter. I will never give it to any of you. I will never let you in that place, any of you! You can all go to hell. You may have me in cage but you won't have my tech."

Eliza stood and walked to her daughter. Kara threw up her hands and backed away quickly, then doubled over as her stomach cramped.

"Don't touch me." she whispered.

Eliza ignored her and took her face with both hands, making the girl look at her.

"I am your mother. I realize you are angry, I expected you to be. I wish it hadn't come to this but…"

"But nothing!" Kara told her, pushing her hands from her. "I can drink what I want! I am 24 years old. Bruce, we had a deal. We handled humans your way and we handled aliens my way. I haven't killed any humans."

"Except Ra's Al…" Bruce started.

"That thing was not human! Neither was Malcolm Merlyn. They were monsters who got what they deserved!"

Eliza and Jeremiah looked at each other astonished. Neither had heard that Kara had killed whatever a Ra's was and both thought Malcolm Merlyn had been killed by the Arrow. Taking a quick glance at Alex, they could tell she knew what was going on and would be asking her about it later.

"That's not all." Alex interrupted. "You don't think you are a danger to yourself? Let's talk about the zip lock bag under the toilet cistern cover. A box cutter? You keep a box cutter in a waterproof bag under the toilet cistern? What about the powder you keep in the bathroom closet, the loose ceiling panel you removed to use as a hiding place for your alcohol? I figured it was some alien drug but then thought, no, it looked familiar. I took it the DEO and guess what I found? It wasn't anything alien. It was just good, old fashioned heroin."

Kara paled more, whatever color she had in her skin gone.

"I…I can explain that. A drug dealer left it on the streets after he got arrested. I …I didn't want any kids to get a hold of it… and…"

"And you thought you would find out how being a heroin addict felt?" Jeremiah asked. "Let me guess, it didn't matter because all you needed was yellow sunlight and you would be back to normal. What about the damage to your body while you are using it without your powers? What if isn't just flushed out by sunlight? You have lost weight. Sunlight can only repair so much after years of abuse. Are you saying you have never tried it?"

"No I haven't, not that it is any of your business. None of this is your business! You got your son, you don't have to deal with me anymore! Just let me walk out of here and Clark is all yours. He always has been! I was never enough for him! I was just his crazy sister, it's all I ever was! Leave me alone and I will be glad to be crazy on my own! I won't stay in this cage!"

Kara turned away from all of them, walking to a wall where a painting of a lighthouse hung. The blonde thought she could have done it better back when she used to paint. It was beautiful though, the different shades of gold…

"Kara?" her father asked again. "You really haven't tried it?

"I don't want to talk about it. You drugged me and brought me to this place against my will. I don't owe you a thing. Not anymore." she told him, not meeting his eyes or even turning around to look at him.

"I checked the blade for DNA and blood. Yours was on it." Alex told her. "You have been cutting yourself again, staying in a constant state of intoxication and you still don't sleep."

"Shut up." Kara told her sister. "Maybe if you paid as much attention to your own life as you do to mine you wouldn't be in and out of a horrible relationship. I hated her. She was the best you could do? You never even tried because you wanted to play vigilante and super-agent! Your life is better than mine? You get to judge me now? I'm done listening to you. You have said enough."

Alex shook her head and walked up to Kara, forcing her to turn around and look at her.

"I haven't said enough. That's the damn problem. I don't say anything. I let you get away with whatever you want, I don't confront you about it, I don't tell Jessica my suspicions. I've been enabling you and I have to stop it. You must stop the abuse. I am not going to watch you slowly kill yourself."

"So don't watch. I told you before I could speak English that I was bad news, that I wasn't safe to be around. What I do with my life is my business, not yours. We aren't little girls anymore. Now let me out of here!"

Alex shook her head and crossed her arms.

"No. You are going to get clean, get the alcohol out of your system and then when you are thinking more clearly…"

"What?! I am going to forgive you for betraying me? For helping capture me?"

Alex closed her eyes to fight back the tears.

"Maybe you never will, but you aren't leaving this place until you are dry. Families have the right to place a loved one in confinement and treatment for the person's own protection. I haven't said anything. We tried to talk to you last night but you wouldn't stay around. We didn't want to have to do this. I know you are angry, I knew you would be angry but you didn't leave me a choice. You need help, Kara. You promised me you wouldn't leave me when you were 14 and you tried to break that promise when you were 22."

Kara laughed almost manically.

"Yeah, you are doing me a great favor. Stripped of my powers and I feel horrible. Whatever sedatives you have been giving me have made me sick. I need a drink soon. I am hurting. I need something. You did this to me. Wanted to make sure I didn't leave you? We are sisters. We trained together. You know what I am capable of. This place won't hold me, Alex. Then, I am leaving you. You will never see me again."

Alex shook her head and walked back to her seat, Eliza following. Kara continued walking around the room, not looking at anyone.

"I'm going to be sick." she finally said and grabbed a nearby trash can, practically falling into it and vomiting what was left in her stomach from Jessica's the night before.

Kara stood up shakily, brushing Alex off who had grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"Don't touch me! They will come for me. You think you have me? They will come for me. Nyssa is coming and she is going to get me out of here. She already knows where I am. When I do get out of here you will never see me again. Except you Bruce and whoever the hell you are I promise you will both see me again and I will cut your throat!" she said, looking at Veritas.

"I promise you, the League of Assassins is not coming to this place, Kara." Wayne told her.

Jeremiah and Eliza looked at each other once again, very concerned about this development. As if this wasn't the worst night of their lives it had gotten weirder. When the hell had Kara acquired an army of assassins?

"Talia trained you. You couldn't stop her any more than you can stop Nyssa. My army is coming for me, Bruce Wayne, and if I were you I would run back to your League of Shadows and hide under Talia's robes!"

"I'll take it under consideration." Bruce told her. Apparently, his sarcasm was not lost on Kara who scowled at him.

"We are bound to one another. Nyssa will not let you keep me. She is already here, looking for a way in. I don't even know where we are but I know she is."

"Then I guess I will have to talk to her reasonably." Bruce told her.

Kara bent back over the trashcan and vomited, then heaved, her stomach empty but still cramping. Alex touched her arm gently and when Kara tried to jerk away she would not let her.

"Let's get you back to bed. The next two or three days are going to be bad. You have become dependent on alcohol and the withdrawals are going to be rough. I will be with you the entire time."

"Stay the hell away from me. I won't tell you again. I don't want to see your face again." Kara told her coldly and staggered out of the room, back towards the bedroom she had left before. Once she reached the room, the blonde collapsed on the bed, curling up into a ball. Her skin was beginning to feel strange. She didn't feel needle pricks any longer, but the feeling of something brushing her skin wouldn't go away.

"Kara…"

"Get out of my cell, Alex, now! You betrayed me! I'm hurting and trapped because of all of you! I'll stay here until she comes and when she does, take your parents and run. She isn't allowed to hurt any of you. She is sworn to protect you, but I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire when they come for Bruce. Clark needs you all. I never want to see or speak to any of you again. I am done with you!"

"I am not…"

"Go away, Henshaw! Go back to your precious DEO!" Kara screamed then buried her head in a pillow.

Alex couldn't stop the tears and walked out quickly, leaving Kara trembling, curled up on the bed. She was sweating profusely and had to be close to dehydration. An IV would have to be set up soon, and the three had to decide what drugs they could give her to help with the DTs.

Right now all she wanted to do was cry privately. Instead she was stopped by Veritas and her parents. Veritas touched the wall and a window appeared.

"We can watch her, but she can't see us. She won't even know a window is there. As soon as she loses conscious thought, she will have to be strapped down to prevent her from harming herself. IVs will have to be set up and we can't risk them being pulled out. She will also likely have seizures. Once her situation worsens to the point she can't resist it will be necessary to do so. I have staff who can handle it."

"Nobody touches her but us." Eliza told the woman. "She will not be strapped down or constrained at any time. One of us will hold her if she has a seizure."

Veritas shook her head. "I'm afraid seeing you may be detrimental right now. You would both do the best for her in our labs. She is going to need medications, the ones you have designed to assist her during withdrawals and the anti-depressants and anxiety medicines you are developing. Time is of the essence."

"You seriously expect us to leave her?" the mother asked, surprised.

Shay nodded. "Until she asks for one of you, or all of you, it will give her more distress now. Soon she will ask for you."

"It doesn't matter. One of us will always be with her. There will be no straps. This is enough of a nightmare for her." the mother said once more, leaving no room for argument.

"She hates us." Alex said quietly.

"No, she doesn't." Veritas assured her. "You are her family. I told you she would lash out, say whatever hurt the most. Right now she wants alcohol and thinks of she angers you enough you will let her go, just to get rid of you. She is also feeling very betrayed, which is natural. She will understand in time that what you are doing is necessary to save her life.

Alex snorted. "You don't know Kara. She can hold a grudge. Was I too late? Is she really gone? I...I need some air."

The brunette took one last look at her sister and ran towards the elevator at the far end of the hall. She used her hand print to access the elevator and took it five stories to the top, where it opened into a cabin. The cabin was nice, decent sized and set in the middle of a large forest in Kentucky. It was a front, built by Bruce Wayne for this purpose. Shay Veritas had been recruited by the DEO but Bruce Wayne made her a better offer. She was not a therapist per se but a brilliant doctor, with many specialty fields including psychiatry and the drugs associated with them. The woman was discreet and well paid, as were her staff. They were also all vetted by J'onn. She did not know J'onn was the Director of the DEO, only having seen the man in his alien form.

Stepping into the fresh air, she immediately felt guilty, knowing Kara was not getting any fresh air, instead trapped in her own personal hell.

Alone, she let the tears flow freely for ten minutes. She hadn't heard him as usual and was surprised by his hand on her shoulder.

"We did what we had to do, Alex." Bruce assured her. "We knew she would say those things. She didn't mean them. You know she loves you."

"She has never run away from my touch, never." Alex told him, her voice breaking.

"This is different. Give her a few days, be there for her like you always have been whether she likes it or not…"

Bruce's advice was cut off when he heard the familiar pull of a bowstring and caught an arrow before it struck his eye.

The man showed no reaction. He suspected who had fired it and she knew he would catch it. It was just Nyssa's way of saying hello.

The head of the League of Assassins, the feared Nyssa Al Ghul, stepped from behind a tree, shrouded in her black robes, a hood covering the top of her head and a scarf covering all but her eyes.

"Nyssa." Bruce greeted her. "A simple greeting and handshake would have sufficed." he told her, snapping the arrow in his hand.

"But it would not have conveyed my true feelings. You will bring Al Malak to me or we will take her and burn Gotham to the ground. Talia and I have an agreement to stay out of each other's way. She does not consider you one of her own, therefore she will not interfere. You know what we are capable of, Bruce Wayne. Bring her to me or consider yourself and Gotham at war with the League of Assassins."

Bruce grinned, as always enjoying Nyssa's presence. She was as far different from her father as one could believe, not that she would admit it.

"Al Malak? So you call her the angel. Is she the angel of death, vengeance or is it because she can fly?"

"She is my general and a part of us. Her enemies are mine and mine are hers. I had thought you might have taken both sisters and their parents were flying to you, under duress. I see by Alex's face that she is a party to this."

Alex shook her head, trying to focus on the woman's words. From the moment Bruce caught the arrow her eyes were scanning the trees, trees that seemed to be coming alive with figures dressed as Nyssa was.

"How did you know we were here?" Alex asked, trying to count exactly how many assassins had them surrounded and wishing like hell she hadn't left her weapons down below.

"Your parents guard followed them. I checked with Clark's guard who reported he was with the neighbors. I tried to contact Kara and she was did not answer. I instructed your parents guards to inform me of their location. It appears I was right. You have betrayed your sister? You should have killed her. It would hurt her less. Bring her to me, now. I will not leave without her."

"My sister…" Alex stopped, what the woman just said, striking her. "Wait, my parents and brother are watched by you?"

Nyssa nodded her head.

"They are protected by our League. Her family is my family. Those are our oaths. Your parents and brother are in constant danger because of who she is, who they are and what they know. Kara did not want to rely on Government employees to protect them. She wanted our own protecting them. A League member is assigned to each of your parents and brother always. They are to be protected at all costs. Bring Kara to me. I won't ask again. Do you have enough sharp metal bats in your vest pocket to kill us all, Bruce?"

Bruce shook his head. Wearing suit pants and a vest over a white shirt, he only had three on him, plus a small grenade in his left pocket. a knife strapped around his left calve and a small grappling gun attached to his right ankle.

"No, I don't Nyssa. I only have three and Alex is unarmed. You are asking the wrong question. The question you should be asking is if your assassins body armor can stop the ten thousand rounds my drones are about to fire into the forest in your general direction."

Nyssa tensed, seeing the four bat shaped drones rising from the roof of the cabin. They were large, and most of their size was due to the massive guns on each bat shaped wing.

"Kara has many enemies. I would not leave this place defenseless. Even if you and your League would survive, you have no way of getting into this facility. I would hope we know each other enough for you to realize this is true. Perhaps you and Alex can speak and she can explain the situation. While you and Kara are close, Alex is her sister. No one is closer to Kara and we both know that. What's it going to be? Ten thousand rounds against forty or so arrows or we all talk about this before unnecessary blood is spilled? You know I do not approve of killing but she will not be moved from this location, no matter the cost."

Nyssa and Alex stared at each other for a moment. Alex did not see the playfulness the woman exhibited the last time she saw her and Nyssa was sizing up Alex as one of two enemies she would have to face.

Looking at the drones in the sky and the likelihood Alex could be hurt, which would go against one of her oaths, Nyssa decided talking may be best for the moment.

"Shall we go somewhere more private?" Nyssa asked. Alex shook her head and walked closer to the woman.

"I have no doubt you are very good. To be the head of assassins you must be quite the warrior. I would not underestimate you. I would suggest you do the same in regard to me. My sister needs help. She has not had alcohol for twelve hours and is already experiencing vomiting and tremors. If you care about her, you will understand why we are doing what we are doing."

"If she needs a place to recover, we can take her to Nanda Parbat."

"She needs a hospital! This isn't something you can fix with herbs and meditation! What don't you see about this? If you are really her friend how can you not be concerned about her?"

Nyssa stepped closer to Alex, their face inches from each other. "I am her friend. I have many followers but she is my only friend. You of all people should know that Kara is absolutely terrified of cages and you are keeping her in an underground cage!"

Alex said nothing for a moment. She wondered where she should strike if this woman made a sudden move. She no doubt had at least four blades under her robe. The bow on her back could be pulled but the arrows in short striking distance were more of a concern.

"Back the hell up. I don't appreciate anyone in my personal space. We both care for her but I have been with her since she landed. I have been through everything with her. I am not asking you for permission. She is my sister and I don't know you, and you really don't know her. Leave, take your ninjas with you and things don't have to get bloody. Bruce may be averse to killing but I am not, not when it comes to her. I will see you dead before you attempt to get to her."

Nyssa stared at her for a moment then took a few steps back.

"I want to see her."

"No."

"Afraid of what I might see?" the woman asked.

"You should be afraid of me. Are you too stupid or too arrogant? Do you even know the difference? You have four blades on you. Make a move and two will be in my hands. You may have some strange attachment to my sister but this is family business and you are not family."

Nyssa, to Alex's surprise, pulled the scarf that was covering her mouth away. The girl could swear the assassin's eyes were wet but it was difficult to tell in the dark. Nyssa looked back at the tree line and with a wave of her hand, the leaves began to move. Alex tensed until she realized they were moving away.

"We will leave you. I want to see her after she is…better. How long do you believe you will imprison her here?"

Alex clenched her fist and bit her lip. "She is not imprisoned."

"So she can leave whenever she wishes?"

The sister said nothing for a moment. Finally she decided to ask her own questions.

"Do you have any idea how deep her problems are? Do you really know how much she drinks, the times she hurts herself, her past suicide attempts? Do you know about the days she refuses to get out of bed or the fights she starts when she is drunk against dangerous aliens just because she wants to feel pain and have an outlet for her anger? How much do you really know?"

Nyssa wiped an eye and turned away.

"I know that she talked me into changing. She taught me that freedom was important. Those who wished to leave left, something my father never would have allowed. She talked Maseo into returning to his wife. She and I destroyed the Lazarus Pit together. I know Kara understands what it is to be ashamed of your own blood and to live with those legacies. She has brought heart to our League. She also has the same sense of justice I do. You may believe us to be hit men for hire but that is not what the League is about. We seek to make the world better, just as you do. My father lost his way, but because of her I will not. May I please see her when she is better?"

Alex was surprised by the sincerity in her voice. For the first time tonight she did not sound angry or vengeful. She sounded worried and it was obvious Kara meant a lot to her. Alex wondered how in the hell she could have missed Kara forming a bond with this woman but she had been living with Cameron and their interactions had been at the DEO or on the streets of National City. She supposed Kara had been up to quite a bit in her five months away.

"I will let you know when she is ready, provided you do not try and take her or talk her out of treatment when I think she is ready. Kelex no doubt knows how to contact you."

Nyssa turned back towards the woman and nodded her head slightly.

"We have Streaky. She will be with us until Kara can take care of her or asks for her. Streaky does not like new places but she is familiar with Nanda Parbat. She will be cared for."

Nyssa walked off, seeming to melt into the trees, leaving a relieved and slightly surprised Alex behind.

"She is a good person." Bruce told her, walking up from behind. "She means well. Her father was an evil…but…Nyssa is different."

"She has our cat." Alex whispered in disbelief. "How long have you known that Kara killed the head of the League of Assassins?"

Bruce shook his head slightly.

"Since it happened. She didn't want you to know. Kara needs you. Let's go back inside."

Once they had descended five floors underground, the two walked out to find J'onn comforting an emotionally wrecked Eliza. The mother looked at her daughter when she walked in.

"Kara refuses to let us in but her shaking is worse. I am afraid she will have seizures. You know people can have seizures during withdrawals. It's the highest risk of death. Maybe we should let her have something, just a bit and we can slowly bring her off of it."

Alex shook her head. "Stay strong." she told her. "We have to stay strong and we won't let her die. The drugs Veritas has developed will work. Have you and Dad gone over them, studied them?"

"For months." she confirmed. "But what if we are wrong? Your Dad is the one who has done the most good for her, making her immune to Kryptonite, but he never would have given it to her if he didn't have a choice. You know how terrified he is of making something that could kill her. Veritas can't give us a guarantee!"

"Calm down, please. Losing our cool isn't going to help. Let's check on her…"

"She won't let me in the room! She yells at me to get out! She is hurting, shaking, vomiting and she won't let me hold her! I always hold her! She tried to bite me! I knew this was a bad idea! I knew it! We thought we were saving her life and she is going to die hating us!"

Alex pulled her mother from J'onn's large arms and held her tightly while the woman broke down, becoming unintelligible. The girl gently guided her mother out of the room towards the room at the opposite end of the hall where her father and Dr. Veritas were.

"The anticonvulsant would make her worse. I am not happy with the way her blood sample is responding." Jeremiah complained.

"It will work." Veritas assured him.

"Are you certain? 100%?"

"Nothing is certain. We are dealing with alien blood. Her blood is different than humans, even depowered and we have no way of knowing what the long-term reactions will be. I do know the damage to her liver is real and if the alcohol use doesn't stop it's over. She can recover but on her current path she will die, slowly, yellow sunlight or not."

"You are supposed to be an expert." Eliza told the woman. "We made the drugs, you refined them, made them safe."

"I am an expert in psychiatry and the treatment of various diseases and illnesses. The only one more qualified to develop drugs and treatment methods for her are the three of you. The anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications have to be developed and unfortunately there are no other Kryptonians to test the drugs on." Veritas told the four in the room.

It was true, she was hired by Bruce Wayne to facilitate the treatment Kara would need and was gifted at developing new drugs but all were experimental until tested through trials, trials that could not be done in this case.

"Maybe you are too close to the situation." Bruce suggested to the elder Danvers. "Perhaps now is the time to be family and not scientists. You will be afraid of whatever you give her. Maybe you shouldn't be involved in the process any longer."

Jeremiah looked up and scowled at the man.

"If I need advice on swinging around on rooftops using grappling guns, I will ask you. Let me decide what needs to be done as far as Kara is concerned."

A nurse walked in, at least one Alex assumed was a nurse. She wore scrubs but everyone did here except Veritas.

"Doctor, her tremors have gotten worse, and judging by her skin color, her body temperature is rising. I need to check her blood pressure but she is attacking anyone who gets close to her. I would highly recommend we place her in a treatment bed and strap her down."

Veritas let out a breath. She knew the family here would never let Kara be strapped down but the girl could break bones rolling out of the twin bed, or worse, begin to claw at her own skin.

"We need a Benzodiazepine to help her. In eight to ten hours the symptoms will worsen. She will begin having hallucinations , seizures, unusual heart rates, confusion, greater anxiety. We have been over the symptoms. Once they start they will worsen for the next three days. We need those drugs." Veritas stressed. "And it is becoming apparent that you two are too emotionally involved to be impartial. She also needs to be controlled or she will hurt herself either purposely or inadvertently."

Eliza shook her head. "It is too late to bring in someone else and she will not be strapped down. We need to treat her."

"You need to be parents! You said you would do what it takes to help her! Now I need help and neither of you can give it to me. The last thing I need is someone looking over my shoulder overanalyzing everything."

"I'll hold her down." Alex decided. "She won't be strapped or she will die from fear. One of her worst nightmares growing up was being helpless and strapped down while being studied. I will hold her and the nurses can do what is needed."

"She doesn't want you in there." Jeremiah reminded her, finally letting the fatigue in his voice. "She hates us all."

"I don't give a damn. She will have to deal with me." Alex decided. "As far as needing help, Shay is right. You two can't think clearly when it comes to Kara. There is someone else who can help you. Someone who I would guess is very good at dealing with people who aren't exactly human. She is good and she won't say anything. Bruce?"

The man pulled out his phone.

"Alfred, send the jet immediately."

"It will be taken care of."

"Just ask nicely." Alex told him, not sure if he would or not.

"Of course. Go to her. All of you. I will be back in six hours."

Bruce left the room and moved to his quarters on the fourth level. Opening the closet he saw his suit on a mannequin and suited up, wishing he had brought her in sooner. Caitlin Snow. The one bioengineer who had experience treating and developing drugs for meta humans. Convincing her would be easy. Bruce would simply employ his favorite method.

He would pay her whatever she wanted.

By the time the three Danvers had made their way to Kara's room to watch her through the window, Kara screamed. It was the name she screamed that surprised her. She was calling for Alex.

The older sister ran inside, finding Kara curled up on her side. Her eyes looked wild and her arms were rubbing all over her body.

"Kara, talk to me. What's going on? Tell me?"

"Something is crawling on me. I can feel them. They are there and then they go away. Please let me out of here. Please Alex. I'll quit, I'll do whatever you want, just please let me out of here. I'll quit being Supergirl, I'll quit drinking, I'll do whatever you want, just please let me go."

Alex lay behind Kara and wrapped her arms around her.

"Kara, the minute you step outside you would fly straight to a bar. We both know it's true. I can't let you keep killing yourself."

"I'm dying anyway! Give me something to kill myself then. Anything! Just not this. I don't want this. It's not fair. It's not fair. Why can't anything be fair? Give me a knife. I don't want to do this. Kill me! I'll do it myself!"

Alex held her tightly as Kara began to squirm. The girl did not fight her so it was progress in Alex's mind, even if she knew it wouldn't last.

Kara was in her own living hell and knew if they didn't let her go soon it would be only the beginning. She knew before she came back to her room what would happen. She had read about alcohol withdrawals before and now the nightmares she had read about were her reality, whether she liked it or not.

You won't let me go, will you?"

"No." Alex told her. "I will never let you go. Clark needs all of us. I know you hate us now and you may forever but Clark can't lose you, none of us can."

"I will never forgive you." Kara tried.

"I know."

"I hate your hair. I've always hated it."

"Yeah, I know."

"You suck at physics and engineering. You can't even put up a tent."

"I know."

"Your feet stink. I've smelt Vrangs that smell better than your feet."

"Yeah, I figured that was why you disappeared when I came back from running." the older sister admitted.

"Your singing voice is horrible. I tell you it's good but I'm lying to you. You sound like Streaky when I accidentally stepped on her tail."

"Got it. Anything else?"

"I just don't understand why you would, why any of you would do this. Why would you betray me?" she told her quietly, her shaking becoming worse.

"You know why we did this, Kara. We aren't betraying you. You are killing yourself."

"I'm scared." the girl whispered. "I'm really scared. I don't want to do this."

Alex felt tears leaving her eyes once again and squeezed Kara tighter, wishing if she held her tight enough the shaking would stop.

"I'm scared too. But I am going to be with you the entire time. We all are. Mom and Dad aren't going anywhere. We are going to have some medicines to help you through this. It will be bad…"

"I would rather die. What do you think I will see?" she asked in a small voice. "People who go through this, I know they hallucinate. What do you think I will see? Is Astra going to be there? Am I going to have to kill her again? Is Jor El going to laugh at me? Is my mother going to cry?"

Alex shook her head. It was one of her greatest concerns as well.

"I don't know what you will see. I do know we will face it together. I won't leave your side. You tell me what you see and I will tell you it isn't real. Whatever it is we can beat it. We haven't lost yet. We won't lose this fight either. Do you want to talk to Mom and Dad?"

Kara shook her head.

"No, I don't want to die like this. Not like this. I want you to let me go. If I have to die I want it to be in a fight."

"You are not going to die. I won't let you."

Alex held her tighter, wondering what would come next. Continuous tremors, hallucinations, paranoia, more anxiety than usual, seizures? She knew one thing without a doubt. Kara would hallucinate and what she would see would be terrifying. The woman could only hope her parents did not second guess giving her medication. Alex had a feeling Kara would need quite a bit before this was over.

 **Central City**

Caitlin Snow walked into her apartment after a long day of doing nothing. She had no real projects going on and there were thankfully no metas for the team to defeat. Barry had not made it back from National City anyway and had only texted that he would be back in a few days. She supposed that meant things were going well with Kara but when she asked he refused to answer. Throwing her bag on the couch, she grabbed the remote. Before she could turn the television on her phone rang. Hoping it was Barry, she was disappointed to see it was an unknown number.

"Whatever it is, I'm not buying it." she answered.

"Dr. Caitlin Snow, this is Batman. We met recently."

Caitlin stilled, recognizing that voice and wondering if he was at S.T.A.R. again. If so, it couldn't be for anything good.

"Ye…yes. How can I…what can I…where are you? Please tell me you aren't inside my apartment."

"I'm outside. Outside your window. Could you open it so we can talk? It's a matter of life or death."

"I'm on the tenth floor." she said but walked to the large window regardless. Opening her curtains, she nearly jumped back. Outside her window was some sort of large black machine, hovering silently, only feet away from the glass. Perched on the front was the man in black himself. Caitlin lifted the window and stepped back, allowing the man to smoothly enter the small opening.

Of all the things she expected, him taking off the dark mask was not it. Still she stood there in shock as the face of the bat gave way to the face of billionaire Bruce Wayne.

"I can see by your face that Barry Allen has not told you my identity." he remarked.

Caitlin shook her head. "He is very protective of other superheroes identities. We didn't even know he knew Supergirl until you two showed…I'm sorry, I'm not used to billionaire vigilante's jumping off space ships into my apartment window in the dark. Is there something you wanted? Because…yeah just because this is one of those things I never imagined would happen and I have imagined a lot the past two years."

To Caitlin's surprise, the man smiled.

"I have a job offer. It will take weeks, maybe a couple months. I know S.T.A.R. barely broke even this year and the patents it has been surviving on will be done soon. If you help me I will give S.T.A.R. funds to stay in business for the next decade. I realize developing tech for a metahuman speedster cannot be cheap. I will give you personally what you want. A million, ten million, it doesn't matter. This job is important. Like I said, it is a matter of life or death. The decision must be made now though. We don't have much time. If you accept you have ten minutes to pack a bag and go to a car downstairs that will take you to a private airport. There you will ride with me to our location. You can let your friends know you are on a business trip, tell them whatever you want but once we reach the location they cannot be contacted unless you leave the state. I can't have cell phones being traced."

"Uh huh." Caitlin said, eyes wide and trying to keep up. "And what sort of job is this that I would need to leave my life behind for weeks or months?"

"I have a doctor developing special medications that are difficult to predict because of the unusual nature of the patient. This doctor needs a partner, someone not family of the patient, a second set of eyes and someone who is brilliant and can keep a secret. Supergirl's life depends on the medications being effective and her treatment will have to be monitored 24 hours a day. Her family needs to be with her. I need you to be her doctor. One of them."

Caitlin's mouth open and then closed, thinking about this. Was Barry there with her? Where was she? Cell phones couldn't be tracked?

"Is Barry with her?"

"No." he answered shortly. "Only myself, her family, a Martian and the staff."

"What sort of drugs are these you need?" not quite comprehending he had just mentioned a Martian.

"I need you to check them and make changes to them depending on how her body reacts. They are drugs dealing with alcohol withdrawal, anxiety and severe manic depression. She is already in the first stage of withdrawals and it will only get worse. What do you say?"

Caitlin wanted to think about this. Supergirl, alcohol withdrawal, depression. It made no sense in her mind but she also remembered the look in the blonde's face when she entered S.T.A.R. right before she discovered Barry was the Flash. They all had their secrets, she supposed.

But the question was not needed. A friend of Barry's needed help.

"I say I have eight minutes to get a bag ready, so I better hurry."


	9. Chapter 9

**Do not own CW or Dc characters**

 **A/N Short chapter by what I usually put out but I wanted to give a little something before the Holiday cuz I probably won't post until next week. To the Americans Happy Thanksgiving. To everyone else Happy Thursday and Christmas shopping.**

 **Chapter 9 Holding On**

It had been two days since Kara left her place and flew off, Alex behind her. Barry tried to sleep on her couch that night but couldn't. He finally gave up, suited up and ran. The Flash wasn't running for Central City nor running towards a robbery or fire, or even a meta. He was running because it was what he did when his world seemed to be falling down around him.

His thoughts were all over the place, seemingly moving as fast as his feet. He thought of his mother, Ronnie, Eddie, his father. He thought of Jay Garrick, his father's inter dimensional other half. He also thought of Zoom, Thawne, and what he could have done differently, should have done differently.

But no matter how fast he thought, his mind kept coming back to Kara. She had looked nothing short of crazed. Barry had never seen her like that. Her eyes were like a trapped animal that feared for its life. He knew the world had never seen her like that. She was always confident, always strong and always kind. She was Supergirl. She protected the innocent of the world from metas and aliens, even everyday criminals. She saved people from burning sky scrapers. Her symbol was known all over the world, even in small villages in the Congo, or South America. There was no place and no one who did not know who Supergirl was and what she stood for, what she meant.

Barry realized he didn't know her at all. Yes, she had told him when they first met about anxiety problems and he saw her face when she caught that plane but since then, every appearance in public she never appeared worried, or anxious. She even took fights out of city limits to save citizens from the fallout of battle, picking up aliens and flying them faster than the eye could track, taking them to prison of course.

The public never asked and they didn't want to know. Supergirl must have had a prison somewhere or she turned them over to the Government.

No one wanted to think about it and no one wanted to know that she was taking them somewhere she could beat them to death. That was what the public did. They held up their heroes, they forgave them a lot. A headline would read Batman busts up Drug Cartel in Gotham. It didn't read that Batman had beaten dozens of criminals to within an inch of their life. It was the way it was, the way editors and reporters like Perry White and Lois Lane reported. It was the way Cat Grant swayed the nation. Jimmy Olsen would never get a picture of a crazed Supergirl unleashing her rage on an alien. The public would not want it. They had to believe that she was safe. Because if she was not safe, none of them were.

Along with those thoughts were worry. Where had she gone? Where had Alex taken her? The man had stayed in a hotel Saturday night, checking her apartment often to see if at least Alex was back. He saw the lights out at her parents house and knew they were gone. They were with Kara and Alex.

Wherever the hell they were.

He did at least see one familiar face as the sun rose over the ocean. Sitting on the beach, watching the tide roll in, was Clark. The wind blew his shaggy dark hair as he sat in the sand with his arms wrapped around his knees. Barry zipped into the Danvers storage shed and back out, leaving the red behind and now dressed in blue jeans and a blue shirt with the House of El symbol on it. Iris had given it to him last year for Christmas and it was well worn. Clark knew he was there of course. There was no way he didn't hear the rush of wind and Barry suspected Clark was one of the few people on Earth who could see him clearly when he moved.

Still the boy never moved, continuing to stare out over the horizon. Barry carefully walked up and sat beside him.

"Kind of early to be up. 6 AM? You do this everyday?" he asked quietly, not sure of the reception he would get. The boy didn't look towards him but shrugged his shoulders. When he finally did meet his eyes Barry was struck by how much they were like Kara's. He hadn't taken a good look at the kid but despite the different hair color the two had the bluest eyes.

"She is a good person." he told Barry.

The man didn't bother to ask who he was talking about.

"I figured you would have gone back to Central City by now." Clark added.

Barry shrugged his shoulders. "I can't seem to make myself leave. I've been running for hours, all day yesterday, all night. I can't help it. I know she isn't here but I don't want to leave. Pretty dumb, huh?"

Clark surprisingly didn't agree with him, which was what Barry half expected considering their last interaction.

"Its not dumb. I don't even know where they are, but I know it won't be easy. I know Kara is scared. I don't know how I know, I just do. I can't help her. I want to. I heard what she said to you before she left. It wasn't…okay, most of it was probably true but she didn't tell you everything. I have a scrap book I keep under my bed with every article about Kara and Alex. They have saved a lot of people. One time a hiker fell of a cliff and was caught on this ledge. He had broken his leg. Kara went to him and splinted his leg so it wouldn't hurt more before she flew him up. Last month she flew into Chicago because this bank was being robbed. She just landed in front of the bank and told them to come out or else. They all came out with their hands up. They just gave up. She is a hero."

"I know she is." Barry assured him.

"She didn't tell you everything though, only the bad stuff. She didn't tell you about the sick kids she visits all the time or how she pays for some of them to get treatment. She never takes money that her boss makes off of her. All of it goes to sick kids."

Barry was surprised. He was wearing a shirt with her symbol but had never thought of where the money for the rights to the image actually went. Come to think of it he wasn't sure where the money for his merchandise went to either.

"When we landed she had all these powers and couldn't control them but she ran with me, even though I wasn't strong. She never hurt me. She kept me safe. She always flies in from the ocean at my birthday parties. My friends get to take pictures with her. I can't say she is my sister. I have to say my parents are friends with Cat Grant. I wish I could tell everyone. I would ask Alex to but she is kind of known for shooting laser guns and beating people with a double bladed lightsaber. My friends would want to play with the guns I think."

"That does sound like a problem." Barry admitted. In every hostage situation in National City and wherever else Alex could fly to, every cop knew the routine. Stay out of their way. Alex went in the back while the bad guys were distracted by Supergirl. She attacked the bad guys and Supergirl went in to finish them off. As a result robberies involving hostage situations rarely ever occurred anymore. If Kara was fighting an alien it was no surprise to see the alien take a very bright, very hot bolt of energy from behind.

"She is a good person, she just thinks she isn't. You know she wears that lightning bolt necklace everywhere, every day, even when we swim? Did you know you were going to be the Flash when you gave it to her? It wasn't some time travel screw up, was it?"

Barry laughed a bit, remembering Clark and Jeremiah's opinion on time travel.

"No, I didn't even know Kara was Supergirl or about to be. She loved her motorcycle and took me out on it. I don't think I had ever been that fast on anything in my life, at least that had wheels. She loved speed. I was walking by a jewelry store and something made me stop and go in. We talked everyday after I left National City. I think I would have moved to National City if she asked, you know? Just to give us a chance? Anyway I walked in and there it was in the case. I just knew I wanted her to have it."

"Must be fate." Clark told him, surprising the man. "I'm really scared. I don't like being scared. I used to think Alex and Kara never got scared of anything. They never lost a fight, but right now I am scared and I know they are. Mom and Dad were really scared. I don't know what is going to happen."

Barry found himself uncharacteristically patting the boy on the back but Clark didn't seem to mind.

"You said it yourself, they haven't lost a fight."

"There is always the first time. I wish I were older. I have a suit ready and everything. I'll take over so she can stop. I know she wants to. She doesn't want to be Supergirl. If I was better, bigger, I could do everything she does and Alex and Kara wouldn't have to do it anymore. All Kara wants to do is move back to Midvale. She used to sing, and paint. She doesn't do either anymore. She hardly eats. All she does is drink."

"Maybe she will stop." Barry told him, trying to cheer the kid up.

"Over there." Clark pointed to his right. "Kara had to kill her mother's twin sister. The lady attacked us, was going to kill us and Kara busted through the wall so quick I couldn't even see her. She had to kill that lady to protect us. She wasn't even scared. She even killed a whole bunch of others from Krypton. She blew up some bombs of this green stuff over all of them. She almost died because she was under the bomb too. I remember seeing her in our basement. She was shaking and…I was scared. You know I used to be scared of her sometimes? I know it hurt her. I wish I hadn't been. I shouldn't have been. I never should have been."

The two sat in silence for a while, Clark looking out over the ocean, wishing Kara would come flying in and Barry wondering where she was and if she was okay. He knew though, Kara wasn't okay. He strongly suspected she was going through hell right now.

Clark grinned a bit, seeing Dolphins swimming about three miles out by his guess.

"Me and Kara, when we go to the South Pole, we chase Orcas sometimes. Its cool to touch them when they swim to the surface. Sometimes at night we chase Dolphins."

"That sounds like fun." Barry admitted, smiling at the thought of the fun those two must have.

"I lied, you know? I knew who you were. I keep up with things. You are pretty awesome, but don't tell Kara I said that. I liked when you made Captain Cold and Heatwave hit each other with their guns. And when you tossed that propane tank at the big meta on Flash Day and that cop shot them, it was pretty cool. I read you took out a guy made of steel. You took on a telepathic gorilla. You do good work. Mom and Dad think so too."

"Thanks…"

"I'm still faster than you." the boy added.

Barry shook his head and patted the kid on the back again. "Maybe one night we will go to that abandoned airport Kara took me too and we can find out if thats true."

Clark shrugged his shoulders. "Even if you beat me you aren't fast enough to keep me from hitting you. I hit hard. You should probably let me win."

"I'll take that under advisement. You going to be okay? Maybe your neighbors can talk to your parents and you can come hang out at S.T.A.R. with me for a few days."

"Ha." Clark laughed. "If Kara found out I was there she would do whatever it takes to break out of where she is and come get me. She isn't a fan of S.T.A.R. Labs. Of course that was when she thought that Wells guy hurt you. Still though, Kara doesn't like me around labs even the DEO. She is always scared someone is going to find out about me and try to study me. She doesn't need anything else to worry about. I just want her to be happy. I am happy. I got great parents and cool older sisters who fight bad guys and I live on a beach. I wish she was as happy as I am. One day I will take her place. I'm working hard. I'll be ready and she can relax. Maybe she can be happy then. I should probably go get something to eat. Do you eat a lot?"

"Yeah." Barry admitted. "I eat quite a bit. I actually came here to talk to Dr. Ryan."

"Come in for breakfast then. Don't call her Dr. Ryan. The older she gets the more sensitive she is about sounding old. Can I ask you a question? I guess that was a question and since I'm going to ask anyway your answer really isn't important. How hard is it to be a superhero? Do you see a lot of bad stuff?"

Barry thought for a moment, thought about the people he had saved and the people he had lost.

"It isn't easy Clark. Yeah, you see a lot of bad stuff but you see a lot of good stuff too. I love being the Flash. I love helping people. Sometimes it doesn't work out but I guess we got to keep trying, right? Who would we be if we didn't? You are going to know one day. I have a feeling you are going to be the greatest superhero this world has ever seen."

Clark laughed a bit and shrugged his shoulders.

"Kara has set the bar kind of high, but I will do the best I can to make her proud. As long as they call me Superman. If Cat Grant tries to pull some kind of Superboy stuff the two of us are going to have a long talk. Come on, lets eat."

While a surprised Jessica Ryan greeted Barry for breakfast, Kara was in an underground facility indeed going through hell. Alex had managed to hold her down long enough for two IVs to be put in her hands but the shaking had only gotten worse and two were ripped out. Kara didn't even notice, nor did she notice when two more were replaced. Alex sat behind her, back against the wall with the back of Kara's head on her chest. The older sister had taken a beating, holding the girl's arms down from behind, while Kara mumbled and shook. She had her first seizure an hour before and though it was mild and only lasted a minute, everyone knew worse ones were on their way.

Caitlin Snow stood near the window trying to take it in. The symbol of all that was right in the world, all that was good, was an addict going through severe withdrawals right in front of her while her crime fighting partner who was also her sister held her down.

Five minutes later the first drug was administered, Dr. Snow agreeing with Shay that this was the best dosage to start with.

"She needs fluids, or she will dehydrate. She is probably dehydrated now." Caitlin pointed out. Veritas dropped her head, already knowing this.

"To do that we would have to strap her down. Alex can't hold her much longer. Kara's tremors are beating the hell out of Alex and she won't stop holding her."

"Sedatives? I think I can up a dose of the baclofen to help her muscles relax." Caitlin offered. "What you have is good but she could handle a higher dose. It would help to calm her somewhat."

"You think the drug I developed will work? Because if it doesn't, it could put her in a coma, one she may not wake up from. I never expected the withdrawals to be this hard. I knew it would be difficult but she has started having seizures sooner than I thought. I am now sure she stayed in a constant state of intoxication and I suspect she may have used alien drugs I am not even aware of."

Caitlin checked the microscope one more time. She couldn't let Veritas's worry sway her opinion.

"It will work. I also think the equivalent of valium will work. You have done a great job with these drugs. The valium can help with the seizures and we can adjust the dose depending on severity. You brought me here for my opinion. I think you are right, we have to do something. There are risks but if we do nothing I am certain she is going to die. Why is the family so against strapping her down, at least her wrists? She should be in a hospital bed."

"If you were an alien who spent your teenage years afraid of being experimented on by the government, would you want to be strapped down? I know she needs it, but her parents and sister may attack you as well."

Caitlin shook her head, trying to come to grips with what she had walked into. First was the cloak and dagger exit from her apartment and next, the terrifying flight in the back of a very small, very fast jet, piloted by a billionaire dressed as a bat. She wore a vest of some sort she supposed to protect her from the G forces of the flight but it had been hair raising and stomach turning even so. They had not flown high and with every bank she could see the ground. After they landed on top of some sort of log cabin, she climbed a ladder down and walked to an elevator activated by Bruce Wayne's hand print. She had no idea how deep they went but knew it was deep. She walked out, was quickly introduced to Shay Veritas and given a microscope and loads of data. Then she was shown Supergirl.

No, then she was shown Kara Danvers, because that was who she was at the moment and she looked like hell. She was weak, obviously sick, shaking and her eyes stayed closed because Caitlin had a feeling when she opened them, she saw things.

Her sister, obviously Manhunter, looked like hell as well. She had the back of Kara's head on her chest and her hands were on Kara's arms, trying to prevent her from ripping out the IVs.

Caitlin walked to the two women, one moaning and one obviously exhausted.

"You want a break? I'll hold her if you want." Caitlin offered, surprising Alex. Alex shook her head.

"Mom and Dad asked me the same thing but Mom can't keep her cool and Dad would be to afraid to bruise her. Besides we always hold each other. I got the flu when I was 16 and she stayed with me the entire time, even held my hair while I vomited. She always kept a wet towel on my head. She was so afraid I was going to die. She held me all the times I had a fight with my ex, all the times I stressed over school work. I held her a lot. The second day I knew her, she woke up from a nightmare and lasers exploded from her eyes. She couldn't even speak English but I got her to stop. I held her from behind and talked to her. It was hot as hell, Clark was just a baby and they were living in a cave hiding from Government agents. I've held her through…everything. We hold each other. Always have, always will, good times and bad. So I will stay here and keep holding her arms down. You can give her saline. She isn't sweating as much and is hot. She is probably dehydrated. I won't let her move the bag."

Caitlin was surprised. The woman sounded exhausted and on closer inspection she had a blue spot on her forehead that was going to be a pretty big bruise. Her voice left no room for doubt though.

"Thanks for coming. I realize this has to be very strange for you."

Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. "Strange has been the one constant in my life since Barry woke up from a nine month coma. I am going to give her an anti anxiety med and an anti convulsant. The work Shay has done is impressive. I suppose you and your parents had a hand in it as well? I think everyone is a little scared to give her anything. I can understand that, but I promise you I won't let anything happen to her."

Alex nodded her head.

"I know you won't. Thats why I wanted you here." Alex said, surprising Caitlin. "I know a little about your work but I also know about the times you saved the Flash. At least some of them. Shay is good and the two of you together are the best. My parents are very good but right now they are a mess. Mom and Dad are convinced she will never speak to them again and they are second and third guessing themselves constantly. J'onn is trying to keep them calm but he can only do so much. They are constantly watching but aren't sure what to do. We knew Kara wouldn't be happy, would be furious, say things like she said, but…knowing it and hearing it are two different things. None of us know how she will be when she finally gets through this."

Caitlin looked closely at her, trying to decide if she should ask. Considering she had to know everything, she really didn't have a choice.

"Alex, she has damage to her liver. Shay thinks it will heal with enough time in the sunlight as long as she stays away from alcohol. Has she…do you know if she has taken anything else, any type of alien drug, or drugs, anything that we may need to know about?"

Alex opened her mouth to deny it, even insulted by the notion but then stopped. Remembering the bag she found in their bathroom, she had no idea that Kara was considering using it without her powers so Alex would lay off about the alcohol. She didn't know Kara still cut herself until she heard a strange sound after flushing the toilet and found the box cutter. What else did she not know about?

"I don't know, Caitlin. I would like to tell you she would never do that but I don't know. I can try to ask her but she has been mumbling to herself for the last hour. She has been speaking Kryptonese and talking to her mother, the one from Krypton. She just keeps asking why? Why did she do it, why was she born, things like that. When she has nightmares she talks in Kryptonese."

"You speak Kryptonese?" Caitlin asked, impressed.

"The only human on Earth who does. Go ahead and hook some fluids up and if you wouldn't mind, could you ask someone to get me a sports drink? I'm getting a little dehydrated myself. She is burning up. Ice for her head would be good too."

"On it. I am being are going to get tired. I don't mind giving you a break."

Alex shook her head. "I'll sleep when she sleeps. Thanks though."

Caitlin asked another question that popped into her head.

"How did the two of you communicate when you found her, if she didn't speak English?"

Despite her exhaustion, Alex smiled.

"Hand signals. You should see the two of us play charades. We have never lost a game. Charades was the first language we had in common."

After Caitlin left to get the fluids and required dosage, Kara had a small seizure, small compared to the others. Thankfully it only lasted a minute. After the shaking stopped and Kara's eyes seemed to come back to reality then close again, Alex thought of Caitlin's question. She had no idea about other drugs but if she had taken something the only place she could have gotten it was from that damn bar Alex considered burning several times. She let go of Kara's left arm for a second and quickly reached into her pocket. Putting the small com in her ear, she pressed the button on the inside and called Kelex.

"I am sure you are watching through the security feed, correct?"

"Yes." Kelex confirmed.

"Seen enough? Override Protocol is now active."

"I agree. You are in command of the Fortress until you end the protocol." the robot assured her.

"Put me in touch with Lobo."

Alex waited for a few moments, then she heard the deep voice of the guy who had somehow became a friend to the two sisters.

"Lobo, I need a favor."

"Just tell me what you need. I'll make sure it is done. How is she?"

"Not good. I need you to go that bar in National City and ask some questions. I need to know if she has ever taken…"

"I'll find out. Give me two hours." he interrupted her. The Czarnian had the same thoughts himself.

 **National City**

Every alien in the bar looked up when the door opened. This was not unusual. It was a small community and everyone wanted to know who had joined the gang. This moment was unusual because the door wasn't just opened, the guard at the door had been thrown through it.

Lobo walked in, bare chest with only leather straps leading to his back, crisscrossed and carrying two very large rifles. It was the chain wrapped in his hand with the large blade at the end that had garnered the most attention. Everyone knew a lot of heads had been lost to that blade.

"You all know who I am. Some cal me Lobo and some call me, Oh shit, its him. Thats the English translation anyway. Before any of you make a move towards any exists I have them all wired, Touch a door and you wind up in pieces. I have some questions and you are all going to tell me what I want to know and then continue on with your lives. First question, who is the dealer at this place?"

Everyone in the bar quickly pointed to a small, green man in the corner, who somehow just turned a deeper shade of green.

"Good job class. Everybody get out besides the green guy wearing a shady overcoat and the bartender. Martha or something, right?"

"Meghan." the woman responded.

"Sure it is. Dealer and bar keep stay, the rest go out the door behind me so you don't get turned into goo."

The exit was swift, and in less than ten seconds the two remaining aliens were left with Lobo. The bounty hunter noticed the bartender did not appear frightened and he had a good idea why.

He started with the dealer.

"Come here."

The man slowly shuffled towards him, staying a distance away.

"I said come here. I'm not coming after you. My chain can bring you to me but it will leave a few gashes."

The green alien moved quickly in front of Lobo.

"You been selling to Supergirl?"

The man quickly shook his head.

"Stop lying. I need to know what she has taken. I need a sample. You are going to give me the truth or die painfully without your tongue."

The green dealer looked around and reached into his overcoat. He handed a small zip lock bag of orange powder to the bounty hunter.

"Freez, from Starhaven."

"How often does she buy from you?"

"Buy? She tells me to give it to her or she will kill me. You know how brutal she can be. Who the hell is going to tell her no?"

Lobo rolled his eyes and grabbed the dealer by his throat.

"I'm kind of on a time limit here, and I got no wish to hear your problems. How often?"

"Once a month. Never more. She drinks more than anything, ask Meghan! But yeah, sometimes twice but most of the time once a month, always on a Saturday. She doesn't take much, probably enough for three or four hits a month."

"She snorts it?"

The man nodded his head.

"Anything else?"

"No sir, I swear."

Lobo was convinced. The man had already urinated his pants. He wouldn't lie.

"You ever see her again you don't give her anything. She might kill you but I will make it slow. She can be brutal but I am sadistic."

The man shook his head. "So what? She kills me if I don't give it to her and you kill me if I do? What kind of choice is that?"

"Price of dealing drugs man. Maybe you should find another job. I hear your business has a lot of fatalities. Get the hell out of here."

The man left quickly, only falling down once, leaving Meghan and Lobo alone. The big man sighed and turned towards the woman.

"You must be good. I know J'onn has picked Kara up from this place a lot of times. Those are some damn good mental shields you must be throwing up for him not to notice a White Martian tending bar in National City. So what is your real name and why aren't you with the rest of your kind?"

"I am M'gann M'orzz. How did you know?"

Lobo laughed. "Seriously? I can smell a White a mile away. The Green is a friend of a friend of here to take him out? If so you are about to have one very long night. Call some of your other friends and we can make this a real party. The Green Martian is under Kara's protection. That means he is under mine, even if the bastard hates my guts."

The bartender shifted, showing her Green Martian form she often used.

"I left those people, my people. I just want to be left alone. I want no trouble. I suppose you will tell him?"

Lobo shook his head.

"I know all about keeping secrets. I don't think you mean him harm. You would have taken your shot already if you did. I wouldn't be walking around in that Green Martian form though. Guy is still tore up over the loss of his people. He sees you, he is gonna think he isn't alone and then find out you are one of the Whites, the man will kill you. He is a helluva fighter. Anyway, that ain't what I am here for. I need a bottle of everything Kara has drunk since you been here. I need it quick and my payment is I won't burn this place to the ground. Unless you want to fight about it? Like I told the drug dealer, I am on a time limit so the fight is going to be fast and brutal."

M'gann shifted back to her human form and shook her head.

"It has finally caught up with her, hasn't it?"

"I need those bottles, now."

The Martian nodded her head and moved to the bar, pulling down three large bottles.

"The Thanagarian Whiskey is her favorite but lately she has been drinking from the clear bottle. Odorless, but pretty much straight 100% proof developed for the guards on Takron Galtos. She came in recently, maybe a couple weeks ago asking for something with no odor. The third is just an ale. I think she uses it to keep her maintained."

"You knew she was an alcoholic and still…"

"Look Lobo, you know who she is and what she has done. She killed the rest of her race, she had to kill her Aunt. The girl has killed three White Martians. Every alien in the world knows who she is and what she is capable of. Nobody turns her down. Besides, she would just go somewhere else. Its not like she is stuck in National City. You said you were on a time limit. Since you ran out the business, I'm closing up…damn it. What the hell does he want? Probably you. I'll be in the back. Get him out of here and I will lock up behind you."

M'gann turned and walked to the office in the back. Lobo didn't need to turn around. He could guess who it was.

"Hal Jordan. I didn't take a human like you to be the type to drink the brew they serve here."

Jordan took a stool next to the much larger man. Lobo noted with amusement that he was all suited up and green, even had his little eye mask. The man was ready for a fight. A White Martian and a Green Lantern and he was going to miss kicking both their asses because Kara's sister needed this stuff to treat her.

"Lobo. What the hell are you doing on Earth?"

Lobo looked down at him, noting his ring was glowing. Damn, this man did want a fight. To bad he wouldn't get his wish tonight unless Jordan tried to stop him.

Lobo shrugged his shoulders and clipped his chain on his belt.

"I got a cute blonde friend who says I can pretty much visit all I want. I may even move to the suburbs. What I am doing is none of your business. You Lanterns have been riding her cape for years. She had to take out Myriad, Fort Rozz prisoners, and every alien threat that comes to this planet. Who the hell do you think you are to ask me anything? The question should be what the hell are you doing on this planet because for all the Lanterns Earth has, it seems like you guys are useless."

Jordan's ring stopped glowing, his suit gone, giving way to more casual dress.

"Yeah, you may have a point. Doesn't matter. You really want to get off this planet. Gardner beat Atrocitus and took over the Reds."

"I heard. Am I supposed to give a damn?"

Jordan chuckled a bit, glad to see that Lobo hadn't changed. He was violent as hell but smart and laid back. If he was here it was for a reason. It was true, everyone knew he was tight with Supergirl.

"Atrocitus wasn't just taken down, He escaped but before he did he sent out thousands of red rings. He is going to try and rebuild an army, start a civil war in the Reds. One of those rings turned up on Earth. You know how it works. Its going to stay hidden until someone with great power unleashes their rage. Then its going to go to them. You know what a new Red can do, what he or she will do. Gardner is trying to help me find it but it is hiding its energy well, just waiting for the right time. I wasn't too concerned until I heard you were here. Someone with your power and rage getting that ring wouldn't be good for anyone, you, us or Earth."

Lobo got a sick feeling in his stomach, not something he was used to. Great rage unleashed? What Jordan didn't understand was that Lobo had no rage. He fought because fighting was his greatest joy. There was no rage behind his power. In his mind he was a pretty laid back guy, calmer than Jordan realized.

But he did know someone with great rage. A tiny blonde girl who crushed his skull and burned it off his shoulders, screaming with rage the entire time.

"Why the hell would I want a damn ring? If it shows up on my doorstep…I guess someone has to find it first, right? They would have to be…"

"Stop." Jordan told him, noticing the Czarnian was sounding very different. Hal thought he might have wanted the ring but it wasn't really Lobo's style. "It doesn't work that way. When someone with great rage absolutely needs it, it will offer itself. That person won't think twice about putting it on and thats it. They become a monster until the Reds…"

"Yeah, yeah." Lobo told him. "Until they take a dip in the Blood Ocean on Ysmault. Ive heard all the fairy tales. Look, believe it or not I am a pretty laid back guy. I got somewhere to be. Don't ask, it isn't your damn business and as much as I would like to spar with one of you power rangers, maybe the cute pink one, I got somewhere to be. Don't follow me. I'll know if you do."

Lobo, bottles and powder in hand walked towards the exit, but stopped before he left. Turning back to Jordan, he offered one piece of advice he sorely hoped the Lantern would take heed of.

"Hal, find that damn ring quick and get it the hell off this planet. A lot of powerful people on Earth."

Jordan shrugged his shoulders. "Like you said, this planet belongs to Supergirl. If we got her we can handle a Red. I would just prefer it not to come to that. The Blue Lanterns are all dead. Once that ring attaches to someone they are changed. It can never come off short of death."

"Find the damn ring." Lobo told him once more and walked out. He didn't say what he knew in his heart. If that ring was waiting for the most powerful and angry individual on Earth to unleash their rage it would be Supergirl those dumbasses would be fighting.

Placing the items in his chopper's saddlebag, he rode until he hit the desert highway. Once there the man opened a portal with a Rann transporter and drove thorough it, arriving in Kentucky seconds later.


	10. Chapter 10

**Do not own DC or CW characters.**

 **A/N Thank you for all the reviews last chapter. I haven't gotten back to some of you because of the Holiday weekend but I plan to. Just a few things to address and then on to the next chapter.**

 **I don't usually respond to guest reviews because I can't PM guest, however this time I can make an exception because it is probably a question many of you have. Why can Nyssa see Kara and Barry can't. Unlike CMK in which Kara and Barry fell immediately in love while here they obviously have great affection here, this is going to be, I think its called a slow burn. Kara has a lot of issues obviously, understatement of the year, and can't really have anything healthy with Barry until she settles down a bit. Remember Barry and Kara have only seen each other three times at the moment in the last six years before she was taken to rehab. In Nyssa's case Alex can recognize that Nyssa has become a part of Kara's life in the same manner Lena did in Survivors. Alex does not feel Nyssa is a threat. Barry isn't a threat either but Alex knows if he saw Kara in the state she is in, Kara would be beyond embarrassed and instead of opening up, she would become more defensive because she wants to seem strong. Therefore keeping Barry away is not because they think he will be bad for her, but them knowing Kara would not want Barry to see her like she is. He will eventually see her of course, this is a Kara Barry pairing but there won't be a hurry.**

 **Last thing. I apologize for the writing here but ffnet doesn't allow links. I closed my website and some friends and admins started their own. I completed a pretty lengthy interview on it to give a bit more insight to me and my writing and will take place in a chat at an undetermined date. I'm under BIT on the site. The site has a lot of fanfiction and originals and I will post my original stories there if anyone is interested. Its free so if you want to give it a shot tell them Speedforce1229 sent you. There is also no spam on the website that will fill up your inbox. The place is called fictional retreat ning com, with a period in front of and behind ning.**

 **Okay, thats it. On with the story.**

 **Chapter 10 Dr Snow takes charge**

J'onn Jonzz knelt by the blonde's bed, forty hours into her detox. She had a seizure an hour ago that lasted four minutes. A larger dose of anti convulsants had been delivered but Veritas and Caitlin were becoming concerned. Kara's shaking had somehow even worsened and her eyes were open but not focusing on anything in the room. She seemed unaware of Alex's voice, despite being held tight by the older sister who was whispering Kryptonese in her ear.

The Martian grabbed the blonde's right hand and leaned into her ear, speaking his native tongue. Alex did not understand the Martian language at all. She had always considered it a rough language based more on sharp sounds than smooth flowing words like Kryptonese.

J'onn continued chanting until to Alex's surprise, Kara began chanting with him, the same words and same cadence. Kara's eyes were closed and her body still shook but she seemed to relax somewhat.

Alex held tight, watching J'onn hold onto the blonde's hand, his eyes closed as the two continued chanting. After ten minutes, Kara relaxed and seemed to fall into a restless sleep.

"What did you do?" Alex whispered. "I thought you couldn't control her mind?"

"I can't." he confirmed. "That was a prayer of my people. Every year on the date of my family's death, I spend the day praying for them. She found out and learned the prayers four years ago She spends the day with me every year. We say the prayers all day in a meditative state. She knows those prayers and they calm us both. They always have. Apparently they are in her subconscious now. Are you sure you do not need a rest? She is sleeping now. Perhaps you can sleep as well. Your back has to be in pain."

Alex smiled. "I stopped feeling my back four hours ago. My legs went away two hours before that. I have this."

Caitlin Snow and Shay Veritas watched from the window, both concerned. Caitlin was the one to finally speak up.

"This isn't going to work. She is barely keeping the IV in and we need to monitor her heart rate. If those drugs she was snorting did any damage to her heart like the alcohol damaged her liver, she could slip into cardiac arrest." Caitlin told her colleague. "We have to get an EKG on her. She has to be in a treatment bed. Her sister cannot hold her down for days."

Veritas sighed, knowing she was right. Bruce Wayne had entered two hours ago with a package of orange powder that he warned the women not to touch with their bare skin and three bottles of alcohol. Caitlin nearly passed out when she smelt one.

"I understand that but they will not…"

"Screw this." Cailtin cut off the woman and marched into the room. She pointed at Alex.

"I need to speak to you and your family, alone. Its important. Please let…J'onn? Yes, J'onn, please let J'onn keep her company for a bit."

"I'm not…"

"Now." Caitlin ordered, surprising the girl. Barry Allen would not have been surprised. He had heard that tone from Caitlin many times. It was the one that signaled that soft spoken, easy going Caitlin had left and Dr. Snow was in the room.

Alex frowned but did move out from under her sister's head on her lap and allowed J'onn to cradle her to the pillow. Alex tried to stand and then fell on her face.

"Ow."

"Are you…"

"Just getting feeling back in my legs, J'onn. Should be any minute. Any time now. Okay, it may take a few minutes."

Alex rolled on her back and began massaging her legs until some feeling came back. Sitting up, finally she used the mattress to help her stand and walked stiffly out of the room. Caitlin was with her parents in the large living room with the circular couch. Alex sat next to them, Caitlin standing in the middle.

"This has gone on long enough. You all know what has to happen here. Alex, you cannot hold her with an EKG and multiple lines running into her veins. She could have more damage when she has a seizure by holding her, both of you could be damaged. I realize you don't want her to feel like she is a prisoner but right now, she isn't even sure where she is. Stay by her side, keep touching her, whispering to her but she needs to be in a treatment bed and her forearms need to be secure with very soft pads."

"Absolutely not…" Eliza began.

"I was brought here to treat her. The drug she was snorting, I have no idea what effect it had on alien physiology but it must have done something for her if she kept going back for more. According to Bruce, whoever was giving this stuff to her only did so once a month. That may have meant she only used it rarely or it may mean that she was going to different dealers across the nation, maybe the world to get what she needed and didn't want one dealer to know she was a regular user. Her heart rate is going to become abnormal. It may already be." Caitlin pointed out.

"But I cannot determine that because I can't get an EKG hooked up to her. If whatever this is has done damage to her heart, I need to know. I realize she is supposed to be indestructible but the alcohol eventually wore her body down, correct? She lost weight and we have found liver damage. We have no idea what the drugs could have done. From my first findings I think it operates the same as Crystal Meth. She may have been using it to fight off the sluggishness that alcohol caused her to feel in battle."

"She will panic." Alex told her.

"She can die if we don't treat her correctly." Caitlin countered. "I realize this is difficult for you all but you all made this choice because you felt she couldn't make it for herself. You committed yourselves to this. She has gone through hell and it is too late to back out now. She is hallucinating and probably has no idea where she is right now. We put her in a treatment bed, continue administering sedatives and anti convulsants, and hook her up to a twelve lead so we know if the dosage is effecting her heart in a negative manner. I need to know her blood pressure, I need to know her body temperature, I need all this. Shay and I both do but apparently everyone in here is scared to do what needs to be done. If this were anyone other than your daughter would either of you have her in a twin bed, being held from behind, or would you be gathering all the information you could get in a proper medical facility?"

Eliza and Jeremiah looked at each other, knowing what she said was true.

"If she feels…" the father tried.

"Keep touching her. Stay by her side and talk to her." Caitlin suggested. "If she freaks out because of the straps we can take them off but until then or until the tremors and seizures stop she needs to be held down. She needs to be in a hospital gown, not pajamas. You know this, all of you do. I am going to get nurses to help me move and change her. Are any of you going to attack me? If so do it now because I have a patient to treat."

None of the three said anything. Eliza finally cleared her throat.

"Alex and I will help you dress her. It will be easier in the bed she is in. Jeremiah can carry her. He has a lot of experience. She always liked him carrying her when she was s girl. Even after she got over her panic attacks, during storms she would curl up next to him and he would run his fingers through her hair. She needs that now."

Jeremiah shook his head. "She doesn't want me in there. She called for Alex, not us."

"I know." Eliza agreed. "And she can hate us later but right now she needs us so we are going to be there. Lets do this."

Alex stood up and followed her mother into Kara's room. Her eyes were closed still but she was speaking.

"Run Alex. I will get them out, just run, please." she whispered. Alex knew she was reliving the day Henshaw found them.

Once the two women had changed her into the gown, Jeremiah lifted her while J'onn followed bring the IV pole.

Alex shook her head, trying to think straight.

"Stay with her. I need to call Clark, I promised I would text Barry just to let him know she is okay, not where she is. I also want a look at that drug she has been taking."

Eliza let out a breath then closed her eyes to stop from crying.

"How did we not know she was using drugs. Alex?"

"Because she stayed constantly drunk. Its not your fault or mine. She could have come to any one of us. Kara has always been like this. She has always lied about hurting herself, she lied about what had happened the night before she tried to kill herself. She has lied to Jess in therapy for years. Kara lies, Mom. I love her, you know that but lets be honest, she is a liar. I would guess a lot of addicts can be but this started before the alcohol. I think she does it as a defense mechanism because she doesn't want to be seen as weak or broken. This isn't on us. It really isn't on her. Okay, most of it is on her, but…its on the House of El. They let her down. They did this. Who is at fault doesn't really matter now though. We just need to get her better, through this detox so she can think straight and then we are going to all talk about these lies and secrets and her getting help. She has to. This has to stop."

Eliza nodded her head, agreeing with this for the most part but still wondering how she had never thought of drugs.

"And if she hates us and refuses to get help?"

"Then I am bringing Clark here and she is going to tell him to his face that she won't get help and will keep killing herself with drugs and alcohol. If she can say that to him, I guess she is lost. But she won't. She just won't do that. Have some faith, okay? We have gotten through bad times and always come out ahead."

Eliza smiled, as she often did at Alex's optimism. The truth was Eliza had no idea what would happen when Kara came through this. She had been worried about her youngest daughter hating her and whether they would find anymore problems the alcohol had caused. Now to find out about drugs had her shaken. Kara's powers of recovery were very strong. When she at full strength she could be indestructible. The idea that she had drunk so much of such powerful intoxicants to the point she lost weight and shook blew her mind. The liver damage Dr. Veritas had discovered when they first brought her in was something Eliza never would have believed. She wanted Kara to get help on psychological level but hearing she was damaged on a physical level was …she didn't have the words to convey her emotions.

Alex was right though. At this point nothing mattered besides getting her through this alive. The back up plan was to turn the red sunlight off and let her healing powers do the work if she was in danger of immediate death but Veritas did not believe this would help her physical need for alcohol. And there was always the risk that Kara would go on a rampage and fly through and out of the building. If that were the case none of them had any doubt she would go to the nearest bar or now possibly a dealer.

Eliza stood up and followed Alex. She would do what she always had done. Be there for Kara, whether she liked it or not.

 **Project Cadmus Bunker, underground Metropolis**

The table was full, all five seats taken. Present were General Samuel Lane, General Wade Eiling, Amanda Waller, head of A.R.G.U.S. and the second and third richest men in the world, Lex Luthor and Maxwell Lord.

The bunker had been operational and completely off the books, hidden for years, five years to be exact. No cell phones or electronics were allowed in. The reason was obvious. The group figured out long ago that Supergirl had access to every electronic device on the planet, even those the NSA swore were unbreakable. She was an alien and somehow, somewhere she had a ship or headquarters, somewhere that alien code could monitor the world. The girl had rescued a Russian submarine three years ago that had sunk because of a reactor explosion. She pulled the rods out herself and lifted the sub in the air, holding it until two rescue ships could gather a tow line and floats to drag the vessel back to Russia.

The incident had been kept quiet by the Russian Government for obvious reasons but Supergirl had been there twenty minutes after the explosion. It was apparent at that point that the world could keep no secrets from her. This was the primary concern, more important that she walked into a nuclear reactor room and didn't die from the massive radiation exposure than the enormous strength it took to lift a submarine from 300 feet of water. She had been down for over ten minutes and was not winded, meaning she likely did not need to breathe and verifying the suspicions that she did indeed fly in space.

"So lets start." Lex suggested. He usually led the meetings. Though Max hated the Government and Lex Luthor and the Government hated both men, everyone in this room recognized that they needed each other to combat what they considered the greatest threat humanity had ever faced.

"Amanda, have you succeeded in getting any information from the DEO?" Luthor asked. Waller rolled her eyes.

"Of course not. We have tried to have three possible agents with impeccable false backgrounds who would be perfect for the DEO and they have not been hired. The agents we have tried to bribe either won't talk or are unable."

"Unable?" Eiling asked.

"Yes." Waller confirmed. "We ask a series of questions, why does Supergirl visit the DEO, why does Henshaw let her have free access, who is she visiting? When they open their mouths to answer they are unable to speak. Some desperately wanted the money being offered but seemed to be literally unable to speak. Almost as if they had some sort of mental block preventing them from speaking about her."

"Great." Lane mumbled. "She can control minds. Sounds like you have been chasing the wrong Gorilla Eiling. Maybe she can make you look like a fool as well."

Eiling didn't respond to the baiting. He felt he at least had the guts to go after metahumans and aliens. Lane hid behind the pretty bars on his jacket.

"It could be another alien." Lord suggested. "She kills most of them she fights but we have seen her working with others. The large one that looks like a demon biker is a big concern. The strong green one who can fly is also a concern."

"That may explain why Henshaw defends her and convinces the President that she is an asset of the DEO even though she refuses to reveal her identity. She could be controlling his mind." Waller guessed.

Lane laughed.

"Not likely. Henshaw has been soft on aliens before he she showed up on the scene. The President can't do anything because she knows Cat Grant will turn public opinion against her and technically Supergirl is not a US citizen, she is a world citizen thanks to the damn UN. If the US declares war on her we are basically declaring war on the rest of the United Nations and the rest of the world loves her. Hell, this country loves her. Only a handful of intelligent people recognize the danger she is to not only national but world security. Besides, the President lets Henshaw do whatever he wants. She always has as did her predecessor."

"So where does that leave us?" Luthor asked. "I still refuse to accept that we are at her mercy. She has to be stopped and it has to be in a manner that cannot be blamed on us. The President won't support us, so we have to do this on our own."

"My project is the best…" Max started.

"Don't be an idiot. You can't turn a brain dead girl into a copy of her." Amanda told him, not for the first time.

"I have her DNA. She was cut in a fight in the desert and her blood was on a rock. It is simple genetic manipulation…"

"No human body can hold the power she possesses!" Waller shouted, frustrated with the man. If she didn't need his money she would have had him assassinated long ago. "You are an idiot! Even if you duplicate her DNA and introduce it to a human body or clone one for that matter, you cannot replicate her cells. She stores power on a cellular level, more powerful than any human could handle. Their body would break down."

Lane watched the two go at it and glanced at Luthor who seemed amused.

"She is right Maxwell." Luthor told him, enjoying the fact that Lord's plan was so ridiculous it didn't warrant discussion. "Besides you cannot do something like that and not have it traced to you. Can you remember that she controls the technology of this world? I used to think Bruce Wayne was funding Batman but it is obvious she is giving that freak alien tech, just like her thin partner. She not only runs the world herself, she has followers, traitors to the human race and aliens. We have to meet in a hole in the ground, just to avoid her listening in. She uses cell phones as microphones and listening devices. Maybe she uses her own hearing. She is God after all, according to many cults. General Lane, I understand you have something in the works while General Eiling is chasing monkies?"

"Yes, we call it Red Tornado. It is the strongest android ever developed.I feel confident it can challenge her. Not only is it strong, it also is equipped to use extremely strong vortexes to battle her on the ground or air. I think these may disrupt her ability to…"

Lane stopped speaking, annoyed by the laughter Waller was unable to control. Once the woman had stopped she smiled at Lane.

"You do realize six years ago she stood inside of an F 5 tornado and literally changed the air temperature to collapse the storm? She didn't even chip a nail. You think some robot is going to do any damage to her?"

"It will damage her and if nothing else we can get a reading on her strength. We have yet to know its limits. Her lifting strength is obvious but we don't know how hard she strikes. This so called robot is being developed as an anti insurgent weapon. Nothing about it should be noticed by her as a threat until we unleash it. Unless someone has a better idea?"

Hearing nothing, the General smiled.

"Good. It will be battle ready in six months, possibly four if I put pressure on its engineer. We have spent over a billion dollars on this will damage her. Despite what the world thinks, she is not a god."

Luthor shook his head. Brute force would not work. At least the amount of brute force they planned.

"Amanda, ideas?" Lex asked.

"I have an asset in India. He has a contact who meets him in person. The man is in the nuclear command department. It will cost us but it will be simple for him to arrange an accidental launch of a nuclear missile towards the States, giving her plenty of time to respond. The security India has over their nuclear weapons is a joke. He plants a detonator on the missile. She will no doubt take it into space and once she is out of atmosphere we detonate. No one and nothing can survive being at ground zero of a nuclear explosion. It can be done without her electronic spying discovering the plan."

"Excellent. Someone using their brain." Lex told the others happily. "There is hope for the Government. She has to be positioned perfectly. We have to be ready to move at a moments notice. Once she is seen flying over Europe or Africa, perhaps a large scale disaster that could be staged, we can initiate operations. In the mean time one of my many grants to an oceanography expedition in the Marinas Trench has discovered something. It was brought to my immediate attention due to standing rules that should the researcher find anything alien it is to be brought to my attention in person with no written record. Something has been found. It appears to be a coffin of some sort, a very large coffin with alien writing carved into it. We are bringing it up and it will be transported to my lab. I am not certain if it could be any use but any information we can find on aliens would help. Perhaps it could be something that could actually contain her. I will keep you all informed. General Lane, have fun with your robot, Amanda, please make contact with your asset and begin setting up a scenario off the books of course and lets continue to look for ways to save the world. Oh and Max? Stop experimenting on brain dead girls. If you are caught performing a foolish project involving the deaths of several young girls, no one in this room can save you. Not from the police and not from her. We all know what she does to her enemies when the public is not looking."

 **National City**

After a subdued breakfast, Barry gave into Clark's request for a video game opponent. The boy didn't tire of beating him for two hours, at which time, Connolly offered to take the kid swimming, obviously a distraction for Barry to speak to Jessica. Once the two were gone, Jessica motioned him into the kitchen then to his surprise she walked through a door that led to a basement. At the bottom of the stairs was a very heavy door, that opened with a palm print.

"Sound proof safe room. His hearing is getting better every day and he likes to has difficulty listening in here. He hasn't gotten Kara's full range of powers yet. He broke a glass last week and cut himself when he picked up the pieces. Of course he healed a minute later. It used to take longer. The older he gets the more powerful he becomes."

Barry nodded his head and took a seat in the spacious room. A monitor on the wall showed security cameras covering the outside of the house completely, cameras he hadn't even noticed. It looked liked there were cameras covering the outside of the Danvers house as well.

"This is a safe room. We built them in both houses in the event that Kryptonians had ever found us or the Danvers. I can't, I won't tell you where she is. I know you care about her but honestly even if you went to her, she wouldn't want you to see her like she probably is." Ryan told the man, taking a seat across from him.

"I didn't come to find out where Kara is. You look tired." he noted.

Jess smiled but there was no humor in it.

"I wasn't a therapist. I worked in the Behavioral Science Department of the FBI. I was good too. But I had to turn myself into a therapist. The problem is, it is difficult after so many years to stay detached, clinical with the same patient. I failed. I guess you could say I am not taking it well."

Taking a closer look at her, Barry noticed how red her eyes were and wondered if she had slept in days.

"Alex said you were a great therapist."

"Alex is kind. I understand Kara told you some things about herself Friday night. Do you think I am a great therapist? I was always out of my league but…once you have been with someone so long, the person kind of becomes a part of you. You stop looking at them objectively. You see them as family and it is hard to provide therapy for someone you see as family. I have to keep trying. She is going to need someone and she will never open up to anyone else. But I also have to make myself become a therapist again. I was as much as an enabler as her family was. Like I said, I failed and I don't know if I can succeed. You didn't come here to make me feel better and I am sure you know you won't get her location from me. Why are you here, Barry?"

Barry took a deep breath, wondering the same thing. He wasn't sure what he needed exactly. Maybe some way to process his parents death? Maybe someone he could talk to that didn't know him, someone he could say things he would never say to his friends and loved ones.

"I need therapy and Alex said you were good. You already know I am the Flash and I have had a lot of stuff happen lately. I…I've never done this thing before. I can run up here …"

"Wait." Jessica stopped him. "After everything you have heard this weekend haven't you figured out that I am a horrible therapist?"

Barry shrugged his shoulders. "Alex said she would have lost her mind without you. She doesn't seem like the kind of person who says that lightly. I can't really go to anyone else. If you don't want to I understand."

Jessica shook her head. "I've never worked with anyone besides the Danvers."

"And I've never been to therapy. But if you can't I understand. I probably wouldn't be good at it. Thanks for breakfast. Tell Clark I said bye and had fun. So, how do I get out of here? Do I need to use a code or should I just phase through?"

Jessica took a look at the man. He wasn't much older than Kara, probably the same age as

Alex. He seemed kind of shy the other night, polite, easy going. He also looked at Kara like Jess always hoped someone would. The surprise was Kara looked at him the same way.

"Wait Barry. I'm…I'll be honest, my confidence is kind of shot right now and I don't know if I will be good at this. I'm not sure if I have ever been good. But I suppose we can try. I don't have the answers you are looking for but I can listen, maybe we can figure this out together. You really want to do this with me? I could find someone who can keep quiet that you can talk to."

Barry shook his head.

"I want you. Alex said you were good. Thats good enough for me."

"Why do you want to do this? For Kara? Because you can't do it for her. It won't work."

"No." he told her. "My mother was murdered when I was ten by a man…its complicated. My father was killed weeks ago by another speedster, right in front of me. I…I don't want this to haunt me forever. Yeah. I want to be alright for Kara but I know I need this. I don't want to…"

"Become her?" Jessica guessed. "Because I let it happen. I couldn't stop it."

"I'm willing to try if you are."

Jessica was looking at him but her mind was racing in several different directions. She wasn't lying, she did feel like a failure. Connolly had stayed with her, listening to her cry all night when Alex had sent a message that a sedated Kara had arrived at the facility. She knew she would have to go back to her, once other therapists were brought in, people who specialized in other areas, mainly substance abuse and anger management, along with grief therapy, PTSD and a host of other issues Jess had tried to deal with over the years. Hopefully the anti depressants and other medication that had been developed and were being developed would work, something she wished she had when she first met the girl. There were so many things she wished she had done differently. Honestly if she had been human, Kara would have probably been hospitalized several times growing up, most notably when she attempted to rip her arm open. Of course if she were human she would not have as many problems as she did.

Ryan had made progress with her several times only to see Kara backslide into old habits as soon as she saw something that bothered her, a dead person, homes destroyed, mass casualties and the worst, car wrecks. Kara never did get that first mother and baby out of her head.

It was only after Kara told Dante to never speak to her again after her second suicide attempt did Jess begin to realize how much Kara had been drinking. She knew the girl drank but what Dante told her about that night made it obvious that the girl's whole character had changed. Despite the falling out, she still had Dante first on the chain of command if the Danvers were taken or unable to take command for some reason. Kara never did change that. She also never tried to contact Dante again. The two had what Jess thought was an inseparable bond but in Kara's mind it was shattered that night. Dante did as she wished, left the DEO, left National City and had never come back.

Kara never truly opened up to Jessica again and never gave her version of that night. The girl learned how to work around her, tell her what she wanted to hear but never really opened up and Jess was too relieved she hadn't attempted suicide again to even notice until it was almost too late.

Could she do this again? She did well with Eliza, Jeremiah and Alex but Kara was a mountain she never could climb. She never had the tools or skill level for that job. She held on at times, made some headway but always slipped back down.

Would she screw up with Barry if she tried?

"Let's try. If you are really open to this we will see if it works. If not I can find someone else for you, okay? How about we start every Friday night? I can fly to Central City from where Kara will be. Right now I am the last person she needs to see but she might be ready for me to try again soon. I hope so. But for now, Friday nights? I can stop by Central City and then fly to National City."

Barry was surprised.

"Thats a lot of flights."

'Not when you work for a black ops government agency that has its own helicopters. Seven O'Clock?"

"Yep. Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. Like I said, I kind of suck, but I will try. Besides the DEO is paying the bill so its not like you will need any money back. Can I ask you a question? Its personal but I suppose we should get used to that."

"Yeah, of course."

"Did you love your parents?"

Barry almost got upset but she seemed genuinely curious. He supposed not everyone did love their parents, considering what Kara had told him about her family destroying a planet.

"Yeah, I loved them very much."

Jess let out a breath and nodded her head. "Thats good. I will see you next Friday."

Barry smiled and ran out, phasing through the wall, into the shed with his suit and then ran out over the water, circling Clark and waving bye while the boy treaded water, wide eyed. Halfway to Central City his phone chimed. He saw he had a text message from Kelex that Kara was okay.

Deciding that was all he would get right now and wondering if it was true, his phone actually rang. Seeing it was Cisco he decided he had better answer, considering how he had left Central City for three days now.

"Whats up? I will be in Central City in twenty minutes, maybe fifteen."

"Yeah, that would be great. We got some things going on here that are freaking me out."

"A meta?" he asked, prepared to make it ten minutes.

"Nah, worse. I got this mysterious message from Caitlin saying she had been hired for a top secret project and would be gone for a few months. A few months! When the hell does Caitlin ever make a quick decision to be gone for a few months? So I have been trying to track her and have had no luck. She left her phone in her apartment!"

"Oh…okay, that is weird."

"Yeah and it gets weirder. Since she isn't here the city called wanting the electric bill paid and I had to deal with it. I was going to come up with some excuse to keep the lights on and when I checked the account to see what we could pay, I found $20 million. Apparently we have received an open ended grant from Wayne Enterprises that we didn't even apply for. I called some guy in the finance department at Wayne Enterprises corporate headquarters and got transferred to their CEO Lucius Fox. Bruce Wayne is financing us now and doesn't want anything. No patents, no research, just open ended funding, whatever we need! What the hell is going on Barry? This…this is weird. We have seen a lot of weird, bad weird and even though this is good weird I am still afraid of any weird."

Barry thought about it but not for long. Caitlin gone, Bruce Wayne…Batman…the one guy who could figure out how to take Kara and place her somewhere she couldn't get out was now funding S.T.A.R. no strings attached. He had a feeling if they looked into Caitlin's bank account she would be very rich in her own right.

"Its fine, Cisco. I will explain some things I think are happening but you cannot say anything to anyone. Don't mention the money, not to Joe, Iris, Wally, anyone. Tell them Caitlin went to an overseas conference. I'll be there soon. Don't worry about Caitlin. I have a pretty good idea what she is working on and she isn't in any danger. We are going to have to get used to life without her for a while."

Life without both of them, Barry thought but didn't say. He had just found Kara again and lost her.

Maybe he could find her again after all was said and done.

 **The Block Research Facility, Kentucky**

"Get them off!" Kara screamed, shocking Eliza and Alex who were on either side of her hospital bed. Kara's eyes were closed and though her shaking had lessened after the last medication her mumblings had not stopped. This was the first time she had screamed anything coherent and one of the few times her eyes were wide open.

"Kara, talk to me. What do you think is on you?" Eliza asked, running her hand through the blonde's stringy, wet hair.

"S.s.s.. snakes! I can feel them all over me. Get them off of me! Why are you doing this? Get these snakes off of me, now!"

"There are no snakes," Alex assured her. "I wouldn't let that happen."

The older sister always knew Kara was afraid of snakes even though she never admitted to it. Ten hours ago she had sworn thousands of spiders were biting her and wanted her powers back. Now the blonde was struggling in her bonds, trying to get snakes off of her that weren't there.

"Get me off this bed! I want off now! You can't…who are you?"

The mother and older sister looked at each other, concerned. Kara's eyes were wide open and she stopped squirming. She was staring wide eyed at the wall, seeing something that did not frighten her. Instead she seemed surprised? Curious? Whatever it was, had stopped her belief that snakes were slithering over her body.

Kara however, was not curious but very cautious. She had seen several people since she began hallucinating. She had seen Astra, her mother, her father and Non of course. That bastard would always haunt her it seemed. He laughed at her, told her how weak she was, how she had destroyed herself because she was too weak to handle life on her own. She had seen Clark crying, asking her why, a young Alex, telling her it would be okay then a bullet hole in her head, Hank Henshaw appearing behind her.

This was different. She had never seen this man, or thing. She didn't recognize the species and was certain she would remember. He was tall, almost as tall as Lobo and as muscular. His skin was grey and his eyes as red as blood. He had what seemed to her to be hundreds of razor sharp teeth. He was also covered in red and black armor with some strange symbol on his chest. The most interesting feature of him was the red glowing ring on his right middle finger. It seemed to be bleeding some type of energy.

The creature stepped closer to her bed.

"They cannot see me." he told her in a very deep baritone voice that somehow was frightening and soothing at the same time. "They think you are hallucinating but you are not. I am not on Earth but something is, something that is allowing me to contact you."

"What?" she asked.

"You are not ready for it, but you will be."

The large alien showed her the ring on his right hand, motioning it towards her.

"When you need it most, it will be there. Make no mistake, you will need it. They will tell you to kill your rage, to make peace with it, let it go. What they do not understand is that your rage is the thing that will one day save them all. You are the one who the prophet of Oa has foreseen. The two of us have a great destiny. You belong to us. You know it and when the time is right, you will know what to do. Until then Kara Zor El do what needs to be done, make yourself strong, protect the ones you love. The seed is already there. You know it. Tell me. Tell me what is in your heart."

Kara did know. She had no idea what the creature was talking about or even who he was. She didn't understand his words and had never seen the ring before. But somehow she was whispering what was in her heart regardless. She knew the words but had no idea how or why.

"With blood and rage of crimson red, ripped from a corpse so freshly dead, together with our hellish hate, we will burn you all, that is your fate."

The creature smiled and was gone, his parting words telling her it would be soon. What would be soon? Where had those words come from?

The words and even the man were quickly forgotten as the feel of cold snakes sliding over her body once more began and she screamed.

Alex and Eliza were looking at each other very confused. They had been close enough to hear Kara and the words out of her mouth were disturbing. Neither had noted that Caitlin Snow was also behind Eliza and heard as well.

"Probably time we started her on the antipsychotic drug." Dr. Snow suggested. Alex tried to calm Kara down but caught that.

"You cannot give her so many new drugs at once."

"She is talking about blood from a freshly dead corpse." Caitlin pointed out. "Like I said, time for the antipsychotics to begin. Trust me. Her heart rate is normal if obviously exhilarated. I can't give her another sedative for a minimum of two hours. She is going to have to ride this out."

"Okay." Eliza agreed. "We will get her through this."

Jeremiah had walked in and began running his fingers through her hair while Eliza and Alex continued to whisper in her ear that there were no snakes on her body.

Eventually the snakes gave way to screams of pain as Kara felt bites all over her body.

"How much longer can this go on, Jeremiah?" Eliza asked.

The man shook his head. "She is in stage three and the anti convulsants seem to be working. The sedatives are helping her get some sleep. If the seizures stop, the imaginary pain can't be far behind. For the next week she will be incoherent at times, hallucinations may stay but won't be as intense or often. We are about to start the downhill slide…anytime between tonight or three days would be my is tough. We just have to hang on. The drug use is adding another dimension and Shay is working to determine if the effects of whatever that orange crap is will cause unexpected reactions in the other medications but so far it looks fine."

"They are going to use the one they designed that resembles Clozapine with an anti depressant added in." he continued. "If it works, it will help her calm now and her dose can be upped when she has her powers. Lobo was helpful, getting those flowers from Avalon. I can't believe I said that but its true. If we can determine the side effects without her powers we can figure out the best treatment combination and then test it on her with her powers."

"Assuming she takes them." Alex reminded them. "We can only get her so far. She is going to have to make the effort and really commit. If she doesn't…I don't know what we can do anymore."

"She will." Jeremiah assured her. "If I have to bring Clark here, I will. Caitlin won't tell Barry where she is at, will she?"

"No." Alex told him quickly. "Caitlin understands and I know Barry would want to be here but Kara was already embarrassed by how she left things. If we let him see her in this state she may hide in the Fortress for the rest of her life. Lets just get her through this. Then, maybe talking to him, if she would agree, maybe she can see some good things in her life instead of always being consumed by the bad things she sees."

Eliza nodded her head. "Surprisingly, he does tend to cut through her defenses, doesn't he? Remember how surprised we were when you told us she was on a date? She never talked to anyone without you or your father and I present, much less a guy. But there he was, they meet and are sharing ice cream twenty minutes later. It would be good for her to see him."

"Just not right now." Alex told them. "Kara wouldn't want him or Clark to see her like this. If nothing else when it is through, if she refuses to talk to us, she will talk to those two."

"You should have let me die." Kara mumbled."

"Don't say that Kara." Alex told her softly, stroking her cheek.

"You had no right to bring me to life if you knew the planet would die. You had no right. It wasn't fair. You wanted a daughter, knowing what this would be like? Don't! Don't explain yourself! Don't! Murderer!"

Kara began straining against her bonds once more, trying to break free but too weak to be much of a threat. Her eyes were glazed and when Alex touched her forehead, the blond tried to bite her hand.

Caitlin came in quickly and administered an anti convulsant. The girl continued to shake for another minute then relaxed.

The three looked at Dr. Snow and noted she was sweating. Caitlin did not want them to know that while she felt her work was correct, every time she administered a medication, she feared she would be wrong. She may have to work through this doubts in order to act, but that didn't mean the fear wasn't there.

"I guess I better get back to work on fine-tuning the anti…yeah. We are almost through the worst. I will be back in another hour for her next sedative. Hopefully she is exhausted enough from today that she may sleep for more than a few hours. Like Alex said, too many drugs at once aren't good so we are having to space them out. I am hoping I have adjusted the sedative just enough that it may suppress dreams. Has she had a history of nightmares before this?"

Alex barked out a humorless laugh.

"She has never had a history of not having nightmares."

Caitlin shook her head. "She is going to need a lot of help, isn't she?"

"She has needed it for a while. She has a therapist but this calls for…"

"I know, Alex." Caitlin told her. "This is going to call for a few specialists. How long do you plan on keeping her here?"

The three looked at each other, not knowing that answer. Alex finally told her what she knew to be true.

"Until she is clean and can make a rational decision on whether she will be willing to get help. If she does, she will stay here long enough to determine the side effect of the drugs with and without her powers, make sure the anti depressants don't make her suicidal, that sort of thing. If she doesn't agree, then…I guess we have to let her go. I can talk her into it. I have to."

"I have no doubt," Caitlin agreed. "but if you can't talk her into it, then I will tell her she has to. Barry Allen listens to me. I won't give her a choice either. After I give her the sedative you all need to rest. You are no good to her when she is awake if you aren't sleeping. I will sit with her."

Jeremiah shook his head. "You need rest so you can keep staring into a microscope."

"I'll be fine. I have nightmares too and sleep isn't exactly a friend of mine. Rest."

An hour and a half later, Kara was asleep and the three were ushered out by Caitlin with assurance that she would call them if Kara woke up. Jeremiah and Eliza practically passed out the second they lay on a mattress. Alex was not having as much luck.

Tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, she gave up after thirty minutes and walked the different floors of the complex.

Bruce had this place built and completed within a year and made recruiting Veritas his first priority. His reasoning was simple. They had enemies all over the world and since everyone knew Kara couldn't be hurt on a physical level, if their enemies ever did strike it would most likely be on a biological level. Veritas's job would be to use information from Brother Eye on biological warfare plans anywhere in the world, assess their threat and combat them, specifically anything that could harm Kara. He had planned to introduce Kara to the woman in a more professional manner but this had occurred.

Alex found the owner of this place sitting in level ten, the lowest level of course, in his personal office. Surprisingly he wasn't watching video feed from all over the world. Instead he was staring at a monitor, showing a very old photo.

"How is she?" he asked, sounding very tired. "Looked like she had a rough time an hour ago."

The woman nodded her head, not surprised that Bruce would be watching.

"I've been looking in on her but thought if she saw me it might agitate her more." he explained. "She may never speak to me again, but we made the right call, Alex. Don't second guess yourself. She was on her way to another huge meltdown and I was afraid it would be one she couldn't have survived. There is a situation going on. Nothing for you to concern yourself with. Nyssa called through Kelex to inform me that Damian Darhk has been seen in Star City. She thinks there is the possibility that he has acquired some sort of dark magic, absorbing life forms with a touch, telekinesis, things like that. She is dropping Streaky off at the mansion and then the League will make their presence known to Darhk. They are going after him."

"Really? Because that doesn't sound safe. I get that she has an army but she has no idea how strong he is."

Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "She knows that. The woman doesn't back down from a fight and Talia won't pick it up unless Nyssa goes down. She is also concerned because she believes Kara may be susceptible to magic. She wants this done before Kara gets better and can leave."

"You need to go, don't you?" Alex guessed.

Bruce shook his head.

"Every year on the anniversary of my parents murders, I go to the spot they were killed and leave flowers in that damn alley. Kara goes with me every year. She hasn't left my side and I won't leave hers when she needs me the most, even if she decides to hate me. From what I can tell, Oliver Queen is tracking this man down with his team. I don't know if they will be enough, so I sent back up for Nyssa and Oliver."

"Barry Allen?" Alex hoped.

Bruce snorted.

"I would like that but no. He has Central City to worry about. I made a deal with Lobo. He gets to use my yacht for a week and he finds Damian Darhk and tries to take him in. If he decides he can't take Darhk, he will keep tabs on him and I will handle it. Darhk is wanted by nearly every police agency in the world. I also sent Dick. Between the mass murderer, Nightwing, the League of Assassins and Oliver Queen and his friends I would hope they are enough."

"And if they aren't?"

"Then when Kara is better and the withdrawals have passed I will handle it myself. I have dealt with magic before. Darhk isn't the only one with a talisman."

"I probably don't want to know that story." the woman admitted. "So whats with the picture? You know Diana Prince?"

Bruce looked away from the monitor and met Alex's eyes.

"Did Kelex send you this photo? Its from around the early nineteen hundreds. Lex Luthor came across it in his metahuman research. This photo was taken in Belgium in 1918. Facial recognition has been found all over Paris. She looks exactly the same. I haven't seen any displays of power besides being much better than me at aging. How do you know her?

Alex couldn't answer for a second, taken back by what she had just heard. Diana Prince was immortal?

"She…she was a guest lecturer from the Louvre one semester, teaching a class on ancient statues or something. Kara took it has part of her art degree. I had no idea what is was about but she seemed to take a big interest in Kara, always asking her for coffee, going to different museums, things like that. I tagged along because both asked me to and honestly she was the hottest woman I had ever seen. Honestly she is my top three still today. She never acted strange, other than the friendly relationship she had with Kara, even outside of class."

Bruce could see where this was going. "Looks like we aren't the only ones good at figuring out secret identities. She saw through Kara's disguise and placed herself in a position to get to know her. The question is why?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders, seeming nonchalant but she had the same question in her mind.

"The Louve you said?" he confirmed. "Looks like I will be taking a trip after Kara is better if Darhk is dealt with by then. I want to know what she is after. No contact with you or Kara since college?"

Alex shook her head.

"Nope, but it wasn't a coincidence. I don't believe in those. Maybe she was just curious. Just because she is apparently immortal doesn't mean she has any powers or is a threat to us."

"Thats true, but she could be a threat for us. Kara always has hated the idea of an organized team but without her for the foreseeable future, one may be needed now more than ever. Go get some sleep, Alex. You look almost as bad as Kara."

"Yeah." Alex agreed. Her mind definitely needed to calm down. "Sounds like a good idea."

Alex moved back up to Kara's level and walked into her room. Sure enough, Dr. Snow was by her bed. Alex took a recliner in the corner and kicked her feet up. She may sleep but she always slept better when Kara was nearby. Tonight would be no different.


	11. Chapter 11

**Do not now CW or DC characters.**

 **A/N Yes the crossover was epic.**

 **Chapter 11 The first steps**

 **Central City**

It had been two days since Barry Allen had returned to Central City. Two days of going to work, trying to keep his mind off of everything and failing to do so. Thankfully it had been two quiet days that the Flash was not needed.

Until tonight.

And he was not on his game.

What should have been a simple madman causing havoc in a shopping mall had turned out to be a walking crocodile, destroying the building, scattering people and mauling anyone he could grab.

Moving around him quickly, the Flash threw a bolt of lightning into the man…metahuman…mutated walking crocodile wearing ragged human clothes. He was not overly large, in the way King Shark was, perhaps 6'10 but of massive bulk and muscled, all covered with crocodile skin, basically armor as far as being impenetrable.

The lighting blast did not move him. Barry tried to hit him several times, his punches, despite the speed, having no effect. Now the Flash was reduced to dodging swings from the monster.

"Cisco, any ideas on what I am facing here?"

"A walking crocodile. Maybe King Shark has a cousin." his friend suggested.

"Not helping."

"Hold on, yeah, got him. Waylon Jones, called Killer Croc. Wanted for bank robbery and murder in Gotham. He has been held in Arkham and escaped several times. He escaped last week and has apparently decided to grace us with his presence. According to their files, he has regressed to the point that he barely has any intelligent thought and exists only to feed. Probably why there have been a rash of mutilated animal corpses across the country. I had money on aliens but I guess that is too 1990."

"Great. I can't move him, he doesn't seem to feel my punches or lighting bolts for that matter. Any idea how to take him down?"

"Try phasing a hand into his heart …"

"Any ideas that don't involve killing him?" Barry interrupted.

Cisco pulled up the files of Gotham PD and saw the last three times he was arrested.

"Okay he has been arrested three times. Batman has captured him twice. The Gotham PD isn't exactly sure how he did it the first time. They just found him in a shark cage in front of the police station. The second time, Batman caught him in an incredibly strong steel net and left him surrounded by drying concrete."

"Ouch." Barry mumbled, deciding to move civilians out of the path of this monster until Cisco had an idea. "What about the third time?"

"Oh yeah. He was caught by Supergirl."

Hearing nothing else, a frustrated Flash followed up.

"What the hell did she do, Cisco?!"

"She hit him."

"And then?"

"Thats it. He escaped Arkham, walked into Downtown Gotham, she landed and hit him. Once. In the head. Knocked out three very sharp teeth according to the police report. Then she flew off. Hitting him isn't working for you, huh?"

Barry rolled his eyes and stopped, taking in the guy from a distance.

"Yeah, something tells me I don't hit as hard as she does. We are going to have to go Batman's route. Any chance of making some sort of net that can hold him? I could lure him into a trap?"

"Yeah, I'll get Joe to get to the wharf and find some steel mesh."

"Great." Barry mumbled. Mr. Waylon Jones had Barry in his crosshair and was walking slowly towards him. Getting out of his way was no problem. Stopping him, was another matter.

"Hey, big guy? Think we can talk? Can you…talk? I see what Cisco is talking about, you are missing a few teeth. The rest look really sharp though. Why don't you come with me? I'll go slow and we can just have a jog around town until my best bud can weld a steel fishing net together."

Barry's suggestion was not needed, because a chain flew into the shattered building from the outside, wrapping itself around the Killer Croc's thick neck and flipping him to the ground. The Flash noticed it had a blade on the end that had buried itself into the metahuman's crocodile skin.

The Flash stood still, watching a man with grey skin and red eyes, larger than the killer he had been fighting, walk in. The monster picked Killer Croc up over his head and body slammed him into the floor, causing a crater in the marble.

Three strikes from the monster's right fist and Barry guessed Killer Croc would not be standing up out of the hole.

The Flash stood waiting, wondering what was coming next. The monster unwrapped his chain from Jones neck and pulled the blade out of his thick skin. Now that he was no longer fighting, or beating, the man croc, Barry took him in more clearly. He was grey all over, dark, long black hair and very red eyes. He had the physique of a body builder, easy to see since he was only wearing black pants, boots and a black tactical vest.

"Cisco, are you seeing this? I think we have another problem."

"Yeah." Cisco replied. "My recommendation is to run until we can figure out who the hell this is because I don't have a clue. He is big, ugly, strong and has a sick ass chain. Most of the cameras I can get good angles on are destroyed. I can't get a clean shot of his face and your chest camera keeps cutting in and out."

"Would you tell your little slacker friend to shut the hell up?" Lobo asked. "His voice is getting on my little com in your helmet, mask, whatever that is, it needs to be quieter. The average human can't hear it but you don't fight the average human, do you Barry? I mean Flash."

Barry stood his ground as the man walked up only five feet away and towered over him.

"Who are you?" he asked cautiously, ready to move in the event that very sharp blade on the end of the chain moved.

"Name's Lobo. I'm here with a message for you."

Barry remembered Kara saying something about a Lobo when she was talking about her transporter to the Fortress.

"Okay…whats the message?"

"Stay the hell away from Kara Danvers or I will break you in half." Lobo told him, and Barry swore his red eyes got a bit redder.

"Uh…look, I don't know who you are but…"

The Flash stopped talking when the monster began laughing. When he had settled down, the large alien shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry man. I always wanted to do that, you know, give the stay away from my daughter thing, not that I think of her as a daughter. Hell no, if she would give me a chance I would wreck her. The epic…probably should keep that to myself. Batman, Big Green and her Dad already hate me. I think her Mom is a little sweet on me though, but you know how it is. Older women like bad boys. Her and Alex are my buds and I heard sweet Kara has a thing for you. I was on my way to Star City and thought I would stop by, say hi, see if you wanted to get a beer, that sort of thing. Your net plan probably would have worked but I didn't want to wait around so I handled it. Hope you don't mind? I was just getting bored."

"No…no its cool. Uh, oh wow, cops are here, outside. I should probably help them take him in…"

Barry stopped talking, watching Lobo walk towards Killer Croc, lift him in the air and throw him out of the destroyed building into the street where cops surrounded him.

"I just made a citizens arrest! Take him in boys! Use some big handcuffs." Lobo yelled out then walked back to Barry. "So they got this. Want to get a beer? You know what? Probably best you stay away from beer. You shouldn't have it around. How about some coffee? You know a place around here that makes a mean Cafe Mocha? I prefer chocolate syrup over powder but I will take what I can get. They don't mind giving two shots of Espresso instead of just that one cheap shot? Some people say two detracts from the chocolate but I don't believe that. Just gotta man up, you know? Put a little hair on your chest. There is a bench by that pretty little pond just past downtown. Go get me a Mocha, syrup, no powder with two shots Espresso and I will meet you there. Get yourself a drink too. Don't take long. Shouldn't be a problem for you though."

Barry stood still, watching the giant alien move with ease. He didn't even notice Joe standing by him until the man spoke.

"What the hell was that?" Joe asked.

"I…I…I think he is a friend…of Kara's. At least he said he was. I heard her mention a Lobo the last time we spoke but…yeah. Okay."

Joe shook his head, as the alien turned a corner, completely oblivious to the crowd who backed away from his path but never stopped staring.

"Wow. What did he…what did he want?"

"Cafe Mocha." Barry muttered. "Can I borrow ten? Considering what he just did to Crocodile man, I would really like to keep him happy."

Joe handed him a ten dollar bill and shook his head again when Barry zipped off. The man greatly missed the days before metahumans and aliens. Not that Supergirl and some other metahumans hadn't done a lot of good for the world. It just seemed the world had gotten stranger and a lot more dangerous.

Then he considered what he knew of Kara and Batman and wondered just what sort of crowd the girl next door hero ran with. He hoped Barry didn't get hurt. There was obviously more to that girl than the world at large knew.

Barry hurried, but had to stand in line, to make sure he got the giant's order right. Unfortunately they were out of syrup so Lobo would have to settle for powder.

Once the drinks were in hand, he moved, finding the bounty hunter exactly where he said he would be.

Barry stood in front of the bench but the man never looked at him, staring at the pond instead.

"They uh…they didn't have syrup."

Lobo shrugged his shoulders and took the offered cup.

"No big deal man. Couple of your months ago I killed this bounty on a desert planet. My ship was having trouble with the converter and I got pretty thirsty. Wound up drinking the dead guy's blood. It wasn't bad but it has nothing on coffee from this planet, you know? Have a seat man. Lets get to know each other. I don't get to meet many celebrities."

Not knowing what else to do, Barry sat on the end of the bench, practically touching Lobo since the alien took up so much of the bench.

Neither said anything for a moment so Barry decided it would be up to him to break the silence.

"I think we are drawing some stares." he commented, trying his best to sound casual.

"Of course we are. You are sitting on a bench drinking coffee in a red suit. People are going to look at you, Flash. Price of fame and all that. This Mocha is pretty damn good for powdered. What about you? Don't tell me you got one of those fruity iced coffees?"

"No!" Barry quickly denied. "Just regular coffee, black."

"A man's man." Lobo told him, approving. "So Kara has a thing for you, huh? Alex told me about you a while back. I heard you were a superhero now. I'm gonna be honest, I sorta thought you would be bigger but that speed thing is pretty sweet. You ever want a job, quick payday and be back to Earth in no time, let me know. How you been holding up? Kinda met my girl and then she disappeared on you,huh?"

"Uh…yeah. I guess I'm…fine." the Flash told him, taking a sip of coffee and noticing the crowd at the edge of the park was growing. He had an idea what the photo on the front of the Central City Picture News would be in the morning.

"Kara ever tell you how we met? I got hired by her aunt after she caught that plane on television. Was supposed to bring her in alive. So I find her easy enough. I'm thinking big deal, Kryptonian right? Tough but a little red sunlight and they are as easy to kill as kittens. You ever killed a kitten?"

"No…"

"Good. Don't, they make a horrible sound but they do taste great."

Barry spit out his coffee, causing Lobo to laugh.

"Man, I'm screwing with you. I would never eat a cat. One from Earth anyway. So back to my thrilling adventure. I find her in this dark warehouse and light the place up in red. I'm thinking this kid is going to be scared as hell. She is standing there in blue jeans and this cute pink hoodie, not much of a threat. Then I saw her eyes. She didn't back down. She got mad. Wasn't no fear there at all. I took the blade off my favorite chain, replace it with a bat. Figure I might break a few of her ribs but she would heal when her aunt put her in some yellow sunlight. Only thing is, my bat gets shot out of the air by a 6250 plasma handgun from Anawa. Then my red grenade gets taken out. I throw another and it was like little Alex was shooting skeet. Woman even shot my ear drum out. Then Kara attacked me. I gave her everything I had but it wasn't near enough. She crushed my head with her fists and then burnt the remains off my neck."

Barry's eyes widened, not looking at the man but focusing on a duck and the sun setting in the distance. Finally he had to ask.

"How are you still alive?"

"I regenerate. Even my head. I know what you are thinking, how the hell can I still look this good, right? Its in the hair, man. I got some great conditioner on my ship. It would probably cause you to go bald but works great for me. Anyway the thing you got to understand is she wasn't only mad, she was enjoying the fight. Hell, I would have followed her anywhere after that. Gotta respect a woman who can hand your ass to you, am I right?"

Barry honestly had no idea what to say at this point. He simply nodded his head, hoping it would be enough.

"Look man, I got a reason for being here and we are going to keep this to ourselves. Turn off your little ear thing, okay? This is going to be one of those sister secrets like Alex and Kara keep when they are being naughty and don't want Mommy and Daddy to find out."

Barry reached towards his ear and cut off his life line to Cisco, not that Cisco could do much.

"Thanks. So I know you are not a stupid man. You aren't a ninth level intellect like me but for a human, you are pretty smart. You know Kara has some anger issues, you know she got a lot of problems. But she is a nice girl. She is a warrior. I think you could be good for her and she could be good for you. She is getting some help right now but you will see her soon. Now this is important so listen up. You listening, Flash?"

Barry nodded his head quickly.

"I been doing some snooping. I know your little slacker buddy can make breaches to other universes and I bet to places in this universe too. If Kara is around you and you guys are in a fight against a big bad, make sure he is with you, if you can. The second you see anything small and red flying towards her, catch it before it reaches her. Man, I cannot stress how important this is. Catch it, run it far away if you can because the damn thing is going to want her. Get your little slacker friend to open a breach anywhere in this universe, another universe, I don't give a damn where. Just throw the thing in. I know you won't always be with her and the three of you probably won't be together, but Barry, I am not kidding. She does not need that damn red thing around her. Don't worry about it getting on you. I know you have had some bad stuff happen to you but to get this thing, you gotta have a deep black hole inside you. It wouldn't want you. Just do whatever you can. All I can ask."

Barry sat a little straighter wanting to know a hell of a lot more. Red thing? What sort of red thing could be a threat to Kara? Something made of red sunlight?

"Could you tell me what it is?"

Lobo looked at the darkening sky, wondering how to explain the Guardians, the little pompous freaks and their green boy scouts. Of course things weren't just one color anymore. Deciding it would be a bit too much to go into the history of the universe, he gave the boy an abridged version.

"People like Kara, they can get better, they can learn to manage anger, to hold it down, to channel it, but someone like her, she got a hole in her. In that hole is a lot of rage. She is a good person, too good to give someone like me the time of day. But that hole, its always going to be there. This red thing is a ring but also a weapon. A weapon she does not need, because once it is on her, it has her forever and that hole is going to become a black hole and take her over. Look out for her, keep her happy, calm her like I heard you do. If she gets that ring, she is lost." Lobo stressed.

Taking a look behind him, the Czarnian decided to leave. "I gotta go. People are wondering why I am sitting with a freak in a red suit. No offense, I like the thing but I gotta keep up appearances. Take this phone. You ever need me, you call me. I will get it no matter where I am in the universe. I'll be hanging around Earth for a while trying to find this red ring and watching her back. Take care, Flash."

Barry took the phone, noting his hand was shaking a bit. He had strangely become used to Lobo's appearance very quickly, possibly because he was more focused on what the man was telling him and this threat to Kara. A hole, a black hole? Did he mean that literally? No, he had to be talking about her problems, her…anger and other things.

"Can I ask you a question? Where is she? Nobody will tell me."

Lobo chuckled a bit and shook his head. "Everybody got a mother hen complex when it comes to her. I'm not really big on bullshit so I will tell you. You know she got some issues. Her family put her in a rehab facility to dry out. They didn't ask for her permission but if they hadn't she would have been dead in a year, maybe two. She drinks…a lot. Some other stuff too. She has been going through some pretty bad withdrawals for the past four or five days. The place is in Kentucky, underground facility with a medical staff, her family and Batman. I guess you know your buddy Dr. Snow is there. Is she single? Nevermind, not the time. Anyway, give it a few days. She is going to look and feel like hell right now but I bet she will want to see you soon. I even bet she will call you before you know it. When she does, give me a holler and I will send you coordinates. She is going to need you, man. I'm counting on you too. Be careful out there, Flash. A lot of weirdos walking around. Guys like us aren't safe anywhere."

 **The Block**

Kara opened her eyes, feeling very tired, almost like her muscles were filled with concrete. She could barely raise her arm. She was happy to see it was not strapped down, so that was something. She wasn't sure of everything that had happened but she knew she wasn't shaking, and she no longer felt bites all over her body. The girl remembered the nightmares, some of the people who were dead that she could have sworn were there. The blonde had no idea how many days she had been in the room, but her entire body ached. The red tint above told her why. She was weak, powerless.

Kara noted she also had an IV attached to a fluid bag, in her right hand. She supposed they were still drugging her.

"Good morning, Blondie."

The girl turned her head to the left and saw her older sister. Alex looked like Kara felt, as if she hadn't slept in days. She also had a huge bruise on her cheek. Behind Alex, against the wall, her mother and father were in chairs.

"How long am I going to be kept locked up?" she asked, her voice scratchy and a bit slurred but still clear enough.

Alex took a deep breath.

"When you were brought in, your body was scanned. You had damage to your liver, the beginnings of cirrhosis. Basically scar tissue had already formed. We checked you without red sunlight. You were doing that to yourself even with your powers. The weight loss was from your cells being unable to fully metabolize the yellow sun rays to their full potential. That is more likely due to the drugs you were using. We decided it would be best to treat those conditions while you were depowered so the dosage of medications would be easier to handle. I think if you can stop the drinking and drug use your body can eventually repair itself. At the rate you were going, if you did have a red crystal implanted in you at some point your body would give out on you in probably six months to a year. Shay would like to continue the drug regiment for another few days and then…we have ben giving you anti anxiety medication and anti psychotics. Eventually we want to start you on anti depressants and find the right combo for you, to help with the depression, the anxiety, nightmares…"

"How long am I going to be locked up?" Kara asked again.

Alex dropped her head.

"You aren't. We wanted you to get dry. We didn't even know about the drug use. I'm not talking about that heroin either. I am talking about alien drugs. Orange powder you snorted? I won't ask you if there were others because I wouldn't believe you if you said no. Right now, you have some meds going through you that are making you feel sluggish. They are at a low dosage, only a fraction of a percent that you would need with your powers. If you go up top I have no doubt the medication would wear off quickly. If that is what you want, I will take out the IV and walk you out of here."

"I do." Kara told her immediately.

"Just do Clark one favor. If you don't get help, don't want to try, stay away from him. Call him on the phone but don't let him see you. It isn't fair to him. He shouldn't have to see you kill yourself. It isn't right. He loves you. We all do. You are killing yourself. Instead of using a straight razor you are doing it slowly but it is suicide all the same."

Kara stared at her sister, feeling a wide range of emotions. Shock, anger, guilt, sadness, shame. She shook her head, not wanting to reflect on those at the moment.

"You all had no right to do this. You cannot justify this! You are going to tell me I can't see Clark if I don't do what you say? What the hell gives you the right?!"

Jeremiah stood up and walked close to her bed.

"We don't have the right and Alex asked you if you would stay away, She didn't tell you that you had no choice. We can't stop you, we wouldn't. We just ask that if you are determined to kill yourself to not hurt him by making him watch. We will always be there for you, but he shouldn't see you like this. You know that, Kara. It hurts us so much and you know how sensitive he is."

Kara stared to the right, not wanting to look at any of them. Now that she was no longer shaking, she remembered everything leading up to being brought here. When the tremors had gotten bad and she was scared the most she called for Alex, like she always had.

Finally after not speaking for over a minute she asked what was next if she stayed.

Eliza took her hand, and Kara did not pull away but she also didn't look at the woman.

"We have specialized counselors, men and women who can keep secrets and if they can't, J'onn can make them forget or put a mental block in place preventing them from speaking about you to outsiders just like he has done to the DEO agents. You start talking to them, really talking, not lying or saying whatever they want to hear. We start working on medications while you have your powers so we can determine the right combinations and dosages for when you are under either sunlight, red or yellow. There are going to be side effects. Some of them are avoidable and treatable and some aren't. We have to decide which are which. You are going to have to work with a substance abuse counselor, stay clean. It is not going to be an overnight process. It could take a couple months before you can function on the meds."

Kara looked over at her in disbelief.

"Do you know how many kids expect to see me every week? Some of them are in bad shape. They are dying! If I just disappear…they will think I abandoned them! I can't do that! You know the last time I was placed on house arrest, by the end of the first month crime had risen across the nation by 22%. I can't just disappear for a couple months!"

"What are those kids going to think when you disappear forever because you died?" Alex asked. "You were taking those drugs and drinking because they affected you. If you were getting the highs then you were also getting the damage they bring. J'onn is resigning from the DEO and handing it over to Webb. He will sneak around as an agent occasionally to make sure the mental blocks are still in place and screen outsiders but he is going to retire. That is going to give him a lot of time to fly around and be you. As long as you are seen, criminals will stay down. Other people, people like the Flash, can fight evil for a while. It isn't always on you, Kara."

Kara laughed bitterly. "J'onn may be able to look like me but he isn't me. He doesn't seem like he would be good with kids. He doesn't…it wouldn't work."

"Yes it will." Alex insisted. "He can read their minds, know everything about your interactions with them. It will work and he can slowly back off. I know you love to do it but no one can see dying children every day of the week with everything else you see, Kara. It is too much. Even you have your limits. You need a break, some time to focus on yourself, instead of saving every life on the planet, and feeling guilty about the ones you can't save."

"I have to try." Kara insisted.

"No you don't!" Alex yelled,surprising them all. "What happened to Krypton had nothing to do with you. You are Kara Danvers, not Kara Zor El! You think you are paying some penance for the lives that were lost but you aren't. The only one who blames you for what happened there is you! I am sick of it! Everyone who dies on Earth is not on you! Death happens, Kara! You have always said you wanted to grow old and die because it was a natural part of life. I got news for you. It is tragic but sometimes, children are taken away by disease, accidents, murder. Teenagers, middle aged, old men and women, they die. It happens everyday and as much as you say you don't like the cults that worship you, at some point you decided that every death was on you. You are not a god. You are going to find that out very soon if you don't stop killing yourself."

Kara tried to pull herself up to a sitting position but had a difficult time. Jeremiah helped her and as angry as she felt at the moment, she was in no position to turn him down.

"I feel horrible. Do any of you? Do any of you feel horrible?"

None of the three said anything at first, not knowing how to answer.

"No." Alex finally told her. "You want me to say I feel guilty about bringing you here. The only thing I feel guilty about is not doing it sooner, especially after finding out about the cutting, the drug use, the sheer toxicity of the alcohol you were drinking. It wasn't easy. I realize when you walk out of here, you may never speak to me, to any of us again. You might grab Clark and fly off and we would never find you. We can't stop you. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try to save you. Its what we have always done for each other. I wish it had happened differently but I don't feel horrible. I mean physically I feel horrible. But that isn't what you are talking about, is it?"

Kara closed her eyes, listening to everything around her. She felt EKG leads on her chest but there were no wires attached. Even without super hearing she could tell where she was by the sounds around her. There were no windows in the room but she should have heard something, birds, traffic, wind outside.

"I'm underground." she decided.

"Yep." Alex confirmed.

"I want to go up top. I want to feel the sunlight. I don't want these drugs in me. I need to think."

The three looked at each other and Alex shrugged. Eliza brought in a wheel chair and Jeremiah helped her after Alex had unhooked the IV from the pole. The older sister asked her parents to remain here while she pushed Kara towards the elevator. Kara said nothing, wondering if it was a trick or if Alex actually planned to let her in the sunlight.

The elevator opened into a wooden cabin. It wasn't large, obviously a shell to hide what was underneath. There were windows though. Alex pushed Kara towards one and she felt the rays of the sun on her breaking through the many trees surrounding them.

"Where are we?"

"Kentucky, about fifty miles from the nearest city."

Feeling stronger by the second, Kara stood up from the wheelchair, her legs no longer weak. She looked at her sister closely.

"This is it? You are just letting me go?"

Alex shook her head. "I want you to live. Keeping you down there may keep you alive but you wouldn't be living. We wanted you to be sober, so maybe you could make a good choice. You can go back to your old life. I will move out and you can kill yourself in peace, drink as much as you want. You will die, but if that is what you want, I can't stop you. I got you this far. The rest is up to you."

Kara opened the door and walked out, enjoying the feeling of fresh air on her face and the overhead sun, shining directly on her. She had a desire to take to the sky, to feel free. The last four, five days had been a living hell and they were still very fresh in her mind.

"I don't know any other way to live." she admitted quietly to Alex, knowing the girl was behind her.

"Maybe we could find a new way together. It is possible, Kara. I know you can be happy. I have seen you happy before. It just never lasts. This time we can make it last. Just our family, figuring out how to help you be happy. No Supergirl, no bad guys, no DEO, no news, or internet, just us focusing on us. We can do this. I want to do this."

"What if we can't? What if I can't? I have lied for so long I'm not even sure what the truth is anymore, Alex."

Alex placed her hand on Kara's shoulder, gripping it tightly.

"So we figure out the truth. We have never ran from a fight. No matter what, we have always found a way. We can have a life, start fresh. You can be happy, we both can. Maybe we might even meet some people who deserve us. I know a man who would do anything in the world to make you smile. One day, maybe if you let yourself, you can love and accept that someone could love you."

Kara shook her head.

"After what he learned, he will probably never speak to me again. Him and Queen are probably comparing notes right now on how psychotic I actually am."

"You are not psychotic. You can be intense, especially when it comes to others, but you are not psychotic. A psycho wouldn't care about being a psycho. Besides he was very worried about you. He asked that I text him when you were okay. I never told him where I was taking you but I know he figured out what it must have involved. He didn't care. He is worried about you. One weekend, a few months of texting, a six year separation and meeting him again, he is devoted to you. You know he hung out with Clark a couple days ago on the beach? Played video games with him too. Jessica told me. Does that sound like a guy running away? You could have something real Kara. But its going to take work. You can have love in your life, not just a guy you screw every now and then to forget about the pain."

Kara walked around a bit, looking at the dirt, the grass, the tall trees surrounding the cabin. She looked at the blue sky, and once again, yearned to be in it, even if she was wearing a hospital gown tied in the back.

The girl thought about everything, every option she had. They wouldn't really keep her from Clark, but they would ask her to stay away when she was drunk or high and when wasn't she? She knew it could be so easy. Kara could be gone, steal some clothes from someone, take off to a bar, raid the place of liquor, take a dealers supply and never be seen again. She could even quit being Supergirl. There were thousands of small deserted islands she knew of in the Pacific Ocean. While small they could serve her needs. She could drink and forget and not have to worry about anything. She wouldn't worry about finding love, developing actual relationships, having to face herself, what she had become, who she was. She wouldn't have to work to be the person she wanted to be, her family wanted her to be.

Turning back to her sister she smiled a bit and put her hand over her eyes.

"You want to hide, huh?" Alex told her, remembering their first communications. "What about eating?" she followed, rubbing her stomach and motioning to her mouth, chewing.

Kara laughed, remembering those days. The fear, the absolute fear she felt every moment, wondering where she would find food for Clark next. At least until she met Alex. She would never forget a hot, sweaty and exhausted Alex walking back into the cave with all those bags of groceries and camping supplies. How the skinny kid got them from the store that far into the woods she would never understand. That was her sister. She did things by sheer force of will.

Kara looked above and smiled, pointing to a bird.

"Pretty huh?" she asked, playfully.

"Yeah, its pretty." Alex told her. "Remember not to eat the bananas with the peel on. There are no magazines in the bathrooms here."

Kara took a deep breath.

"You really think he isn't afraid of me? I was drunk, I made a fool of myself. I told him things I never should have."

Alex took her phone out of her back pocket.

"Call him. Don't be afraid. Decided what you want to do. I'll be inside the cabin. If you want to do this, come inside and we can go back downstairs. If you don't, I will still love you. I will always love you. Even if you make me watch you kill yourself, I am always going to love you. Mom and Dad will too. Clark will always love you. No matter what you decide, please think it through. We can do this. We sent a Coluan to the Phantom Zone, killed a White Martian, a horde of Khund and Vrang mercenaries and took out a pretty bad Kryptonian then blew up a giant space ship. This is going to be harder but we can do it. Just think about it. I hope to see you inside."

Alex walked inside and Kara decided to sit on the soft grass, not caring that she was wearing a gown. There was no one else above ground. Now that she was up here, she could hear everyone moving below her. The girl almost x rayed the place to see how deep it ran but decided not to. It really didn't matter. It was just another cave. The question she had to figure out is if she wanted to follow Alex out of a cave again, or take to the sky and hide among the clouds.

Taking a deep breath, she opened up Alex's contacts and found Barry Allen's number. Kara gently pushed the call button and half hoped he didn't pick up.

So of course he did.

"Alex? Is she okay?"

He sounded worried, Even a bit scared. How much would she put him through if he was already worried and didn't know anything about her really.

"Hey Barry."

"Kara! Are you okay? Alex or your robot sent me a text saying you were safe but…"

"I was drugged and taken to an underground laboratory where I went through I don't know how many days of withdrawals. I'm not even sure how long I was out. The last few days have been kind of hazy. Listen, I want to apologize…"

"Don't. Just don't, Kara. I just want you to be okay. Are you?"

Kara thought of her answer carefully. It would be so easy to tell him she would be fine, that everything was okay. She could even tell him she had a bit too much to drink and most of what she said that night wasn't true.

It would be so easy to lie. Kara had been doing it for a long time. Jeremiah used to tell her that he could always tell when she was lying or holding back but as Kara got older she was certain he couldn't. She had become too good of a liar. She could make anyone believe anything. She even figured out how to lead her therapist where she wanted to go, giving a little here, a little there to make her seem like she was opening up but never really telling the dark secrets she kept.

Sure her family knew that she drank. They didn't know that it made her feel sluggish in fights but if she snorted a line before she fought the high woke her up, kept her sharp. The blonde used different dealers across the US so no alien would know exactly how much she used.

"No, I'm not." Kara told him, deciding on the truth. "I haven't been for a very long time. I want to be, but I don't know if I can. I'm sitting here and don't know what to do. Everything in me says if I do what needs to be done, it is going to be so hard. I want to fly away and forget about everything but no matter where I am, space, the South Pole, the desert, I carry it with me everywhere. I told you I wasn't a good person but I wish I was. I want to be. I just don't know what to do."

Kara heard nothing on the other end and wondered if she had finally ran him off.

"What do you think is the right thing? I may not know a lot about you and I want to know everything one day, if you ever want to tell me. But I do know from watching you that you try and do the right thing. If someone you loved were in your position, what would you want them to do? If it was Alex, what would you want her to do?"

Kara hadn't thought of that. If Alex had her problems, what would Kara do? Was there anything she wouldn't do?

"I…guess I would want her to do whatever it took to feel better."

"I guess that is your answer."

Kara laughed softly. He did have a straight forward way of looking at the world.

"If I do this, I am going to be away from everything for a while. You might see me flying around on TV but it wouldn't be me. I don't think I will be able to meet your foster father next…I don't even know what day it is."

"Yeah, I figured. No matter what, or who you meet or what we do, no matter what you decide, I'm going to be here. I told you six years ago and I am telling you again that you aren't holding me back from anything. I can wait. If you need a friend, I can be a friend. I'll even broaden your mind. Ever seen Firefly?"

Kara thought about it and wondered what the hell he was talking about.

"I have no idea what a Firefly is besides the insect."

"Best Sci Fi show ever. I can't believe you have never heard of it. What kind of self respecting nerd are you?"

"I have a feeling I am going to be drugged out of my mind for a while but maybe after everything is settled, you could bring it to wherever I am and we can watch it. How many seasons are there?"

"Only one and a follow up movie."

"Only one?"

"Fox executives are idiots. Look, just get better. Do what you need to do to be happy. Pretend it is Alex in your situation and do what you would want her to do. I'll be here. I'll be your friend and if you ever need anything else, we can give that a try maybe. Who knows what the future can hold? I've never managed to run there yet and I don't really want to. Who knows what kind of grief Clark would give me then."

"Okay. Thanks. Just for being you and not being freaked out by me. I know I must have scared you at my apartment. I acted like a maniac which I guess I kind of was at the moment."

"Yeah, a little nuts but thats part of your charm. I was scared for you. I don't want to be again. Whatever you decide, if you want my opinion, ironically I would say don't run. I've never seen Kara Danvers run from a fight."

"Thanks." she told him, standing up. "I'll call you in a couple days if that is okay. Like I said, I have a feeling I may not be lucid but I will try okay?"

"I know. If you need me, I'll be there in a…"

"Don't Barry." Kara told him, cutting that off with a laugh. "We are big enough nerds already."

Kara ended the call and stared at the phone in her hand for a moment, then back at the sky. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feel of rays on her face. She used to hate the feel of sun rays because they reminded her of what a freak she was. She enjoyed the feeling red rays gave her, the feel of normalcy. But the older she got and the more guarded she became, Kara hated feeling vulnerable. It was easier to be a machine, only making herself weak at certain times in private.

Taking a deep breath, she walked back into the cabin.

Alex looked hopeful, her wringing her own hands but glad to see her sister hadn't flown off.

"So what happens?" Kara asked.

"You are really going to do this? No lies, no half truths?"

"Yes."

"You swear?" Alex asked, large tears streaming down her face.

"Yeah, I swear. I'm scared. I'm really, really scared and for me thats an amazing feat considering I should be used to fear by now, but I will do this."

"Okay." Alex told her, letting out a deep breath she had been holding forever it seemed. "We are going to start with some medications, anti depressants, sedatives at night to help you sleep. The goal is to make you feel better, sleep better, cut down on the anxiety you feel. You are also still going to have strong cravings…"

"I would kill for a shot of whiskey right now…or a line." Kara admitted. "I know about cravings. My gut is still turning."

Alex nodded her head. "You got through the worst of it but you are still going to feel off a bit at times, may even hallucinate a few times over the next week or so. You just have to tell us and we can talk you through it, okay?"

"Yeah."

"The meds won't be right, at least not right away. They are safe, but the dosages will have to be adjusted. None of us want you to be in a fog all the time. We were going to have two dosages, one for when you are powered and another for days you don't have your powers but Caitlin Snow thinks she has figured out a way for the drugs to work in sync with your cells so they can actually increase or decrease in strength in regard to the solar radiation in your body. That way you won't have to change doses if you want to lose the powers for a while. Shay has been working with her on it but Caitlin really is a genius."

"Caitlin Snow?" Kara asked. "What the hell is she doing here? She saw me…oh no…"

"Kara, relax. She has been a huge help. She won't tell anyone anything, not even Barry, I swear. She has been sitting with me at nights next to your bed. She is really cool. Just don't panic, okay? She will never say a word about what she saw. She is a doctor, your doctor."

Kara shook off her momentary embarrassment. Considering everything Barry had seen and heard already from herself she doubted anything Caitlin told him would make a difference.

"What else is going to happen?" Kara asked, getting back to the previous conversation.

"You are going to meet with a couple different therapists who deal in different areas. Substance abuse, PTSD, Anxiety disorders, stuff like that. You are going to have to be very honest. You can't lie."

Kara nodded her head, expecting as much.

"Okay then. I guess we should start. I'm scared, Alex."

Alex took her hand.

"So am I, but when has that stopped us before?"

"I know." Kara agreed. "When we get below, I need to talk to Clark. I want to see him…after I have had a shower. Just in case these meds make me a little crazy for a while, I want to see him first. I need to see him."

Alex nodded her head.

"He will be here in the morning, promise. Want Barry to bring him? Tomorrow is Saturday."

Kara was surprised. She had been here a week?

"I don't know if he would be up to that. I'm not sure if I want him to see me in a hole in the ground."

"You need friends, besides the head of the League of Assassins, I mean. He seems like he could be a good friend." Alex hinted. She hadn't listened to the conversation but she had watched Kara and saw her laugh twice in five minutes, more laughter than Alex had seen in a long time.

"Okay. I need to check in with…"

"No. This doesn't work unless we cut all the other crap out. No missions, no hero stuff. Its just about us, about you. She is a hot…I mean a grown female assassin and can take care of herself. We aren't superheroes and vigilantes. We are just the Danvers. Thats all we are going to be for a while, okay?"

"Yeah, got it. By the way, who has Streaky?"

Alex thought about it.

"I really have no idea anymore. She is either in a den of assassins or hanging out in the Batcave."

"Either way, you should probably bring her to me. She doesn't sleep well unless she is in my hair. I want my brother and cat."

"Anything else?"

"No." Kara told her. Alex placed her hand on the pad next to the elevator and it opened, taking them both down.

When it opened up Eliza and Jeremiah were standing there. Kara wanted to scream, wanted to shout about being kidnapped. She could never yell at Alex or stay mad at her for that matter, but she often had better success with her parents. Instead of yelling she began crying and fell into their arms.


	12. Chapter 12

Do not own CW or DC chows.

A/N I apologize for the delay. I hadn't been feeling well and when I finally got to the point I could work on this chapter I found out the news of CW pushing the final episodes of Supergirl Season 3 nine weeks so LOT can finish first and Black Lightning can have a spot. Basically SG fans are getting screwed. It had me so sick I wasn't sure I could write these characters anymore without becoming irrationally angry. I like Sara Lance and Ray Palmer and Mick Rory but I do not watch LOT because I am sick of time traveling shows. The Flash nearly drove me away with all the time traveling. Now I get five episodes as Supergirl is hitting its peak and then wait 9 weeks. Times like this I kind of wish Melissa would tell them to go to hell and concentrate on movies or Broadway or something. She can do better. Arrow in my opinion is horrible this year after having a great season last year, LOT has been doing the same thing for two and a half seasons but Supergirl gets pushed back after it had an epic mid season finale for LOT and a Black Lightning show that had already been turned down by Fox and which I have no interest in watching. I am close to giving up on the CW. I have always tried to be supportive because I loved the characters and it gave Supergirl and Melissa a home when CBS was going to cancel it but damn I am bummed. So I guess you can say my heart hasn't been in it. As a DC fan, it hasn't made me happy that Justice League's deleted scenes were better than the movie, that the movie failed to deliver after the momentum from Wonder Woman and now DCEU and Arrowverse apparently have the same idiot decision making processes. To top it off Thor Ragnorak was amazing and Infinity Wars will be also I am sure. In other words Marvel is still continuing to dominate the comic world. Okay, I have to stop now before I go on a rant, and will do my best to continue on with the story. There are not many TV shows I watch, American anyway, and Supergirl is one of the few so I may feel a bit intense. My apologies.

 **Chapter 12 Reunions**

"Stop running!"

Barry slowed down, not wanting a sudden start to jar the not so small little boy on his back. Even at eleven years old, the man knew Clark would grow to be large. Large may be an understatement considering his Kryptonian genes.

Once he had come to a halt, Clark jumped off his back and vomited his breakfast on the ground. Barry tried not to watch, the sight making him nauseous, as it often did when John Diggle vomited after being moved by the Flash.

"You okay?" he asked, the child.

Eliza and Jeremiah had agreed to let Clark run with Barry cross country, provided he stayed on Barry's back the entire time. Clark was not happy about this but if it meant a chance to see Kara and not have to deal with the hassle of an airport then it was worth it.

The little boy was now reconsidering his decision.

"No, I am not okay! Do you think people who puke are generally okay? Kara ran with me all the time. She runs smooth, like she is gliding. You run like your feet are made of stone. I'll take it from here. Try to keep up."

Barry hid a smile, not wanting to patronize the boy.

"Do you know the way to Kentucky?" he asked.

Clark nodded his head and pointed up.

"Kara taught me to navigate by the stars."

Barry looked where Clark was pointing.

"I hate to break this to you but its morning. No stars are out."

"None that you can see." the little boy countered. "As long as we stay away from the main roads we will be good. Try and keep up with me and you won't have to worry about your friend giving you directions in your ear. I found the coordinates on Google Earth before we left. I know exactly where we are going."

Barry shook his head. "No deal. Your Mom and Dad said you could only come with me if you rode on my back. It isn't easy for me either, you know? You aren't exactly a lightweight."

Clark grinned.

"Afraid you can't take me, Flash? Don't want to lose that fastest man alive title? There is a large Oak tree two miles away. If you can beat me there I will let you take me the rest of the way, even if it is going to take an hour at the speed you are running."

"No." Barry told him. Clark shrugged his shoulders.

"Thats cool. If I was in your position I wouldn't want to be beat by an eleven and a half year old. I think I will just walk. Why don't we go to the nearest city and catch a plane? I mean fly in one. Only me and Kara can actually catch planes."

The Flash grinned, used to Clark's good natured ribbing by now, even if the little boy did think he was faster.

"Fine. If you make it to this Oak tree before I do, you can run the rest of the way. If I get there first you get on my incredibly sore back and be quiet. No complaining for the rest of the thirty minute trip."

"Wow, you do have a pair. Impressive, Flash. I can't wait to tell Kara I left you in the dust, or…clay, rock? No, its more like…is all of Texas like this?"

"Pretty sure its just North Texas. This is my first trip though. So an Oak tree, huh? Shouldn't be hard to find considering the lack of trees but we have to stay away from roads. You can't be seen. For God's sake, be careful. If you run into something and get hurt I will be running from your parents for the rest of my life."

"Nah, Alex would get to you first. You may be fast but she is tricky. Ready? Of course you are."

Clark took off, running across the mostly barren landscape towards a small group of trees Barry could barely see. The Flash took off after him, passing him in seconds, but impressed with his speed. The boy could move. Barry knew Kara was fast enough in the air to create vortexes to put out fire. Clark wasn't far behind it appeared but he was still vulnerable at times.

The look on the little man's face was hilarious when he saw Barry running next to him. The Flash gave the kid a wink and took off.

Only to be tripped a few feet from the tree in question. Barry fell flat on his face, while a laughing Clark flew over him, very close to the ground and touched the tree.

"Loser!"

The man looked at the ground and saw a fence post had tripped him up. Where the hell had a fence post came from? Gazing back over their path, he could tell a barbed wired fence was wrecked.

"Did you seriously just pull a fence post from the ground and throw it at my legs?"

The title boy shrugged his shoulders. "The bet was I would get here first. I did, I won."

"You cheated!"

"I won. Next time be more clear in the rules. Its not like I broke your legs or anything. I've gotten pretty good with my aim. So I guess we will be running side by side the rest of the way."

Clark began laughing, then turned, to take off running. He made it two steps before he hit the tree trunk in front of him and fell on his butt.

Now it was Barry who couldn't stop laughing. Clark didn't find it funny.

"You will never tell anyone about this." he ordered, standing up.

"You seriously think I would not tell someone about this? You just walked into a large tree using super speed. No way I keep this to myself."

Clark could feel his cheeks burning from embarrassment. If Alex found out he would never live it down. Then it occurred to him how he could handle this situation. Years of manipulating his mother and father had taught him many skills.

"You won't say anything because if you do, Mom and Dad will find out you didn't run with me the entire way. I am sure when I explain to them that your back was hurting and you asked me to run along side of you, they will understand."

Barry took a long look at the boy. He knew those eyes. Those were the eyes of a kid who was not bluffing. Perhaps living with Kara so many years had taught him to be very good at deception and manipulation.

He immediately felt horrible thinking of that. Kara was not a liar.

Okay, so she probably lied sometimes but it was always for the greater good. She was honest to a fault.

Which made no sense, considering her family had to force her into rehab. She had done considerable damage to herself. The Flash knew this because Caitlin was not called on a whim. If she was needed and left in the middle of the night, it was serious. He doubted Bruce Wayne gave away the kind of money he did on a whim, no matter how much the man was worth. Barry had no doubt they knew about Kara's drinking but was it worse than he guessed? She was indestructible. How could something like alcohol affect her that much?

No, her family may have known but he had an idea they didn't know everything. It only made sense. Remembering her eyes the last time he saw her, it was obvious she was manic. The suicide attempts and the drinking, who knew what else she had done.

He still couldn't get her off his mind. No matter what she did or who she was, Barry would never get over her, no matter how much she tried to push him away. She had taken him to her secret base in Antarctica that night to have sex with him. She wanted to put him in the same position as Nightwing and he knew he would have given her what she wanted. Would he be her new escape? Was that her only interest in him?

He didn't want to think about it. Once he arrived, he would watch Clark go down and stay up top. If Kara wanted to see him, he would jump at the chance. If not he would give her more time. She may decided she wants nothing to do with him after she is better and though the thought hurt, it was better than either of the other alternative, her continuing to kill herself and using him as a tool to help maintain a facade of normalcy while she did it.

"You are thinking about her, huh?" Clark asked but it really wasn't a question.

"Yeah." Barry admitted, standing up.

"I have been thinking about her since she has been gone. I'm pretty scared. I don't know what she will be like. I know she is probably mad at Mom and Dad for doing what they did. She is probably mad at Alex too. I don't know how she will feel about me. I don't care about school. I'm not leaving her. She has never left me and I won't leave her."

'I know you won't." the man agreed. "She wants to see you, or she wouldn't have asked you to come. Me, I am not so sure about, but I guess I will find out in thirty minutes."

"If your back can hold out." the little boy reminded him. "I'll run on your back since you are slightly faster than me right now. Just do me one favor. Don't tell here what she wants to hear. Thats all Nightwing did. Thats why Dad really didn't like him. He never told her to stop, or anything. He would drink with her. When she complained about people thinking she had problems he agreed with her. Maybe I should have asked her before to get help. When I was younger she would get really mad at me if I brought anything up about her. I always thought she was crazy when I was younger. I wish I hadn't done it. I don't know the whole story. I am going to find out, but something changed her."

"Whats that?" the man asked, intrigued by the observations of Kara's behavior.

The little guy shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. I've seen videos in the Fortress of me as a baby. Kara was always taking care of me but she did't mind. She smiled. She was happy. I think she found out some things, some bad things and keeps it hidden from me. Whatever she knows, I have a feeling I am not going to like it. I think it is why she is the way she is."

Clark shook his head, stopping the train of thought. Nothing else mattered except getting to Kara right now. Telling Barry it was time to go, the two took off, the Flash and his passenger. In another thirty minutes to an hour he would be with Kara. Nothing would get in his way.

"Fine." the Flash gave in. "But you are riding with me. Or I can call your parents and tell them I run to rough for your liking and…"

"I get it. Lets go."

 **The Block**

Kara was in the training area on the fourth level, doused in red sunlight so she could let loose on the training dummy, the girl was currently pummeling. She knew her drug regiment started this afternoon and was not sure how she would feel for the foreseeable future. She had tried to sleep but couldn't, tossing and turning all night. Alex sat up with her, and sat with her this morning, trying to watch TV but the blonde was too restless, unable to stop pacing in the room.

Kara claimed to be bored but that was not the problem and her family knew it. The girl may have gotten over withdrawals but the psychological need was still there. For the first time in a very long time she was without any alcohol or drugs in her body and had no idea what to do. Though the tremors had stopped, she still fidgeted and felt the need to move constantly, talking herself into and out of this mess the entire time in her head. Alex was the one who suggested the training room. It had been built to study the effects of the medications on Kara's reflexes. Instead it was working as stress relief, or at least lessening the stress.

She had worked up a sweat, throwing blocks and punches at the padded wooden dummy, going through a series of strikes and counter strikes Dante had taught her what seemed ages ago.

While doing these Kara tried not to think about Dante and what she had said and done to him. It was probably one of the things Kara felt the most ashamed of, or at least in the top ten. It should have been a warning that she and her life had gotten completely out of control. Instead she blamed him and drove him away, forbidding him from ever seeing her again. Dante had conceded to her wishes and had not seen or spoken to her in nearly two years.

Snapping out of those thoughts, she moved towards the heavy bag and began a series of kicks until the door opened. Though without her powers, Kara could guess who it was. Her parents were working with her doctors and Alex was catching up on sleep. J'onn had flown to National City after speaking to her for twenty minutes, so he could close things there, hand over the DEO and begin making appearances as her once in a while. That left the one man she had not spoken to yet. She had seen him with her X Ray vision on the lowest level, spying on the world, speaking with the CEO of his company a few times, never long. Bruce didn't give a damn about Wayne Industries. Lucius Fox handled the business and Bruce Wayne focused on his mission in life.

Kara did not turn to look at him, but did stop hitting the bag.

"You were supposed to kill me." she told him. "I told you if I ever got out of control…"

"To stop you." he finished.

"We both know what I meant. There is only one way to stop me. That was your job."

"I'm not a straight razor, Kara. Sorry, but you of all people should know that stopping doesn't mean killing, not to me."

Kara turned around finally and looked at him. She was surprised. Looking down on him from above she hadn't seen his face. Now she wondered when the last time he had any sleep was. The man looked like hell.

"You make exceptions for aliens, remember?"

"You're not an alien. You are my friend. I don't have many, and I was not going to watch one kill herself."

Kara walked closer to the man and pushed his chest, barely tipping him back.

"I hate cages! You of all people should know why! I would rather be dead than in a cage!"

Bruce silently agreed but did not apologize.

"This place was built to help us. I never told you because I was hoping to catch you when you weren't drunk. I missed my five minute window somewhere I suppose. I commissioned it and hired Veritas because I thought if the Government did actually find a way to harm you, it would have to be biological. I needed to know how to fight that, if they made you sick. It would also give us an advantage if Brainiac ever showed up, as we discussed. If Waller or someone else developed a virus that could harm or kill you, I was not going to wait around for the DEO to figure out how to treat you. Assembling a team of the best biological warfare experts in the world at a moment's notice in the event a skull shaped ship appeared orbiting the Earth didn't seem prudent. I like to be prepared. This was never meant to be a prison. From what I understand you had the choice of leaving yesterday. You didn't. That means this isn't a prison. You are here now of your own free will."

Kara said nothing, instead turning and walking towards the wall where a towel hung. She was only dressed in a sports bra and yoga pants and threw her t shirt on as well. Hair in a ponytail, drenched in sweat, she knew she looked as bad as she felt but did not give a damn at this moment.

"You were supposed to kill me." she whispered again.

"Then maybe you should have asked Oliver Queen to stop you. I would have stopped him if he tried though. Your family needs Kara Danvers."

"And the world needs Supergirl." Kara countered.

She was irritated when Bruce shook his head, and walked towards the heavy bag. Taking off his dress shirt, he began swinging himself. Kara, as always, was impressed with the power his human body could put into strikes. One would almost think he was metahuman if they did not know how obsessively he worked out.

"The world has not had Supergirl in a week. Guess what? It is still turning and shows no signs of deviating from its normal path around the sun. The world survived before us, before you. It will survive long after we are gone. We try to do the best we can but thats it. You are no god and I am certainly not an angel. We are just two people with amazing abilities to blame ourselves for things that aren't our fault and punish ourselves for them constantly. Thats fine. We can tell each other the world needs us but we do what we do to battle our own demons. You know it, I know it and your family knows it."

A sudden spin kick from Bruce sent the bag flying off its chain, crashing to the floor with a thud.

"Great." Kara muttered. "I'm kind of limited on what I have down here so if you could not break the equipment that would be nice. Why are you even here?"

"Because my partner is." he answered. "I understand you are beginning to take medications today and there will be possible side effects until they can find the right fit so to speak. While you are taking these meds you are going to be monitored and tested, poked at, prodded and will be bored, making life hell on the people who are paid to help you and your family. On the first level, just under the cabin, is a large empty space. It was supposed to be an armory. I had an employee searching the US and European junk yards for a birthday gift for you last month. I know you like to put together things that are broken. They don't get much more broken than the one he found in Wales. A 1949 Vincent Black Lightning that has seen better days. I thought if anyone could make something of it, you could. You have always been good at bringing broken things back to life. Restoring it will give you something to do while you try to bring yourself back to life."

Kara shook her head, making sure she heard that correctly under these red lights.

"You found a 49 Vincent Black Lightning that isn't already owned by a collector? Thats impossible."

"So is a person flying but you seem to have that down. The bike and tools you will need will be delivered this afternoon."

Bruce walked to a cooler in the corner and poured a cup of water. "Dick asked about you. I wasn't sure what you wanted him to know so I told him you were fine. I guess considering what happened in the last encounter the two of you had, calling him is out of the question? I know what he is and isn't to you Kara, but he has been your friend and does care about you."

Kara rolled her eyes and poured her own cup of water.

"I never should have started having sex with him." Kara admitted. "I should have just picked you to have casual sex with. You aren't as clingy."

Bruce spit the water in his mouth onto the floor, causing Kara to actually laugh for the first time since she arrived here.

"You could have asked me. I would never turn down a no strings attached liaison with a 19 year old blonde." a new voice told her. Kara spit out the water she had drunk on the floor, seeing it was Alfred who walked in.

Wiping her mouth, ignoring Bruce's laughter now, she fixed the older man with a hard look.

"Stay where you are. I want to frisk you for syringes. It would be the most action you have had in decades I imagine."

Alfred shook his head sadly. "Dear, you have no idea how off your estimate is. It has been much, much longer, but I recently found a singles website that shows promise. I hope you aren't too upset about me drugging you. He made me do it."

"You use that excuse all the time. I don't know how I feel about either of you, to be honest. I have small bombs planted in the Batcave and on all your hardware I have worked on so I guess the two of you will find out at some point. I had to have some way to stop both of you if you went out of control."

Bruce stiffened but then relaxed. Kara was joking.

She had to be joking.

He would run diagnostics on everything just to be sure.

"Master Wayne, I would like a few minutes of Kara's time to speak to her privately, if she would agree."

Bruce nodded his head, patted Kara roughly on the back, ruffled the hair on her head annoying her, and walked out. The blonde was surprised. Alfred never asked to speak to her alone. She wasn't sure he ever had. Yes, the two talked often but it seemed Bruce or Alex, or even Dick was always present.

"Whats up?" she asked carefully.

"You and Bruce know quite a bit about each other." Alfred started. "Honestly, I think you are the one Bruce feels a kinship with the most. Dick has had similar events happen in his life and the two of them share an obvious bond but the two of you understand each other on a different level. The two of us have some similarities as well, one you may not know about."

"Oh really? Do tell." she told him, suspecting one of his dry jokes that she loved.

"I loved a woman once, deeply. She was murdered. I…for a long while afterward, I found solace in a bottle. I hid it well, I learned to cope because another was depending on me. I had to be the adult, the mother, the father, the protector. Eventually I was alone for a few years and I no longer had to keep up appearances. I lost myself completely in the bottle. A friend of mine you know, Jim Gordon, was the one who pulled me out of the grave I had dug for myself. He insisted I move in with him, his wife and daughter for six months. During that time he took me to AA meetings after work and if he couldn't get away his wife would go with me until eventually I started going on my own. I relapsed several times but they never gave up on me. Bruce knows none of this, and I would prefer if he never did."

Kara stood very still, listening to the man. He seemed to be talking less to her than himself, reliving a difficult time in his life.

"Every time I would relapse, I thought I would have driven him away but I never did. He and his wife never gave up on me. Eventually I moved back into the large mansion, Bruce came back and he never knew what had happened. I have been sober for fifteen years now and every day is a battle, not helped by the lifestyles we lead. Everyday I want nothing more than to pour a glass of Scotch or a nice Merlot and then another and another. Just as we all have our battles to fight to save the world, we have our own important battles to fight within ourselves. As long as I live, I will be there by your side in this battle. Nothing you will do nor have ever done will ever be as hard as what you are about to do. I believe in you. Jim did not give up on me, no matter what I did. I won't give up on you, no matter what happens. Don't give up on yourself."

Alfred uncharacteristically pulled the shocked girl into a hug which she eventually returned. The man gave her a sad smile and moved towards the door.

"Alfred?" Kara stopped him. "The woman you loved, she was murdered in an alley, wasn't she?"

The man gave a sad grin and nodded his head. "I won't bother to ask you to keep that to yourself. I know you will. I will be here the entire time you are. If you need anything just ask. I understand Clark will be here soon. I think Barry Allen has run across country with him."

"Thats good, I really want to talk…did you say Barry Allen? Barry is here?! No! He can't see me…no!"

Alfred smirked at her. "You should probably take a shower. It can never hurt to have too many friends, Kara. You need as large a support system as you can find. If you don't want to see him he will understand but you did tell him everything and he is still here. I think he could be a friend to you. Don't turn people away who only want to help. There aren't enough of those kind in this world. No battle can be won alone. Not Myriad and not this one."

Kara left the red lights and ran toward the shower in her room. Without the red lights she was able to hurry but also able to hear everything. She heard him upstairs, telling Barry to wait. She heard her mother in the elevator hugging Clark. She heard the door close and the elevator drop.

Barry hadn't come inside. Why would he run Clark all the way here and not want to see her?

He wasn't sure if she would want him to see her. He probably had no idea what emotional and mental state she was in.

She shook those thoughts off when the elevator stopped. If the shower hadn't woken Alex, the sound of Clark running full speed into his now thankfully clad sister would have woken her.

Alex slid out of bed and over to the doorway, standing next to her mother and father while they watched the two alien members of the family on the ground holding each other. Clark had his head buried in Kara's shoulder while she held him tightly. The stronger he had gotten the tighter he could be held.

Kara was shocked, not by the sudden hug but by the tears she could feel wetting her shoulder. Clark was a tough kid, determined that he would be Superman one day. As he often told her, Superman did not cry.

But at this moment he was crying very hard.

"You aren't going to die, are you?" he asked, trying to gain control of his sobs. "Please tell me you aren't going to die. You can't die. I don't want you to leave me. Please Kara."

"Shhh." she whispered in his ear. "Its okay. I'm not going to die, I promise. I won't leave you Clark."

"You won't try to kill yourself anymore? You promise?"

Kara took a deep breath, tears leaving her eyes as well.

"I promise, I won't."

"You will stop drinking? I don't like when you drink. Its making you sick, isn't it? Thats why you lost weight and your eyes are red all the time. You don't eat. You promise you will stop? I don't want you to die."

Kara tried to swallow but her mouth was dry. Instead she took a fresh breath and heeled onto him tighter.

"I'm going to stop, Clark. It won't be easy but I will stop. I am so sorry. You know I love you, more than anything, right? You are my baby. You will always be." she whispered. Clark nodded his head but kept his eyes shut and his arms tight.

"I've been scared." he told her. "I don't like being scared. Were you hurting? Was it bad when you got here? Do you hate everyone?"

Kara shook her head. "I don't hate anyone. It was bad, but I got through it. We got through it. I think Alex is a little sore. I hit her head a few times while she was holding me but we are okay."

Clark nodded his head and backed away a bit, keeping his arms on her but looking her over.

"You are too thin. You need to eat more." he told her, sniffing a bit, trying to be the responsible man of the house now. "You know I will always love you, no matter what, right? You can never tell me anything that will make me love you less. You don't have to keep secrets from me. I can help. I can take it."

Jeremiah and Eliza dropped their heads, knowing what he was referring to, and wishing he hadn't brought it up. Alex noted their reaction and began worrying. They had not told her of their conversation on the beach with Clark and Alex had not explained Kara's involvement with the League of Assassins. There had been more important things to worry about.

"What do you mean, Clark?" Kara asked carefully.

"I just mean if you want to drink you can tell me and we can play or go fly or something instead. You don't have to hide it from me. I don't want you to drink anymore but I know you will want to. I did a lot of searching on Google…don't get mad…"

"I'm not mad. I understand. I won't keep it from you, okay? I'll tell you."

Jeremiah and Eliza nearly dropped to the floor in relief, causing Alex to give them a look that indicated they would be having a conversation the next time Kara slept under red lights.

Clark stood up and Kara allowed him to assist her in the same. Both their faces were red but at least both were smiling.

"I don't want to leave you. I'm staying here."

Kara shook her head, placed a hand on his shoulder and grinned.

"You have school, big guy. You aren't going to miss any school because of me. Understand?"

"But I won't! It's only three more weeks and I told my teachers I had a grandmother who was dying and they all said they could email me my assignments and I could finish that way. I told them Mom and Dad were good with it and since Mom and Dad were with you, they had to take my word for it. Can you believe they bought it?"

Kara smiled, not surprised at all that Clark would pull something like this. She also had no doubt that a dose of those big blue eyes and Eliza would let him do as she wished. As cold and as sterile this place could be, the idea of having her whole family in one place was comforting. But what could happen weighed on her mind.

"Clark, I would love to have you here but I am going to be taking some medications starting this afternoon. They won't hurt me but I am not sure what other effects they could have on me. Some of them may scare you. I might be sleepy all the time or sick or say weird things. I'm kind of scared and I don't want you…"

"If you have your powers I can hold your hand and you can squeeze as tight as you want." he reasoned, knowing it wasn't true. Kara had a lot stronger grip than he did but it was a bargaining chip in his favor.

"Clark, it could be nothing or it could be scary. The doctors are going to try a bunch of different medications on me and I really don't know what is going to happen."

"I really don't care. If I was here, would you leave me to go back to school? You left school to take me to the Fortress when my hearing and vision changed. You taught me to fly. You never left me. Please, Kara, don't make me go back."

The blonde took a deep breath and looked at her parents by the door. Eliza was smiling, despite the tears in her eyes. She gave a slight nod as did Jeremiah.

"Then I guess you are staying. Just promise me, no matter what I say, if I say something mean you won't be mad and you won't listen to me. If I tell you to leave or our parents or Alex tell you to leave, you need to walk outside and not listen. You promise?"

"Yeah, I promise. If you say something mean I'm going to say something mean back before I leave though. Deal?"

Kara nodded, figuring that was as much as an agreement as she would get. "Yeah, you got a deal."

"Thanks. I love you. I'll pick a room close to yours. I need to figure out how to get my X Box and my clothes and stuff up here. Your boyfriend couldn't handle anymore weight. I think he needs to start exercising if he is going to keep doing this superhero stuff. If he says I hit him with a fence post he is lying. Okay he isn't lying but he never said in the rules that I couldn't. He ran all the way, here so you should probably go say hi to him. He wasn't sure if you would want him to see you. He is still wearing that red costume too, probably trying to look cool for you."

Kara patted the boy on his cheek and mussed up his shaggy hair.

"He is not my boyfriend, he is just my friend, okay?"

"Does he know that? Because he did just carry me on his back across the United States." Clark fairly pointed out.

Kara didn't answer him, instead going to the bathroom and checking herself in the mirror.

She looked like hell. Her skin was pale, her eyes were red even before she had been crying and it was obvious she hardly slept the past week or the past two nights since the worst of the withdrawals faded.

"He is not going to care how you look." Alex told her, walking into the small bathroom. "He has a pretty good idea what you have been through. I doubt he expects you to look your best. He came anyway."

Kara let her shoulders drop, knowing Alex was right. There was absolutely no way she would be presentable to anyone, which is one argument she had against seeing Barry now. But he had come anyway. Looking up, she smiled, seeing him pacing around in the cabin, mask back but still in that red suit. He looked as nervous as she felt. The blonde was not sure she was ready for Barry Allen to see the real her.

Then she realized he had already seen the real here, the last time she saw him. He had seen the monster behind the mask.

And he came anyway.

Kara put her hair in a ponytail, changed quickly out of her pajama pants into blue jeans and headed towards the elevator, surprised that no one followed her. The ride up seemed to take forever. She had not been up since coming back with Alex after deciding to stay. It would be nice to see the sun again.

When the door opened, she saw Barry pacing nervously, very quickly then stop cold, looking straight at her. He looked surprised as if he hadn't expected her, then realized the elevator was very quiet and he wouldn't hear everything going on below.

She stepped out slowly, not exactly sure what to say. The last time she had seen the man, Kara had told him everything. The alcohol in her system combined with Kelex's statement turned her mouth into a waterfall that she could not stop from running. He now knew almost every dirty secret she had. Maybe not every single one but enough to know she was a wreck.

But he was here.

"Hi." the blonde started with, not sure what else to say.

"Hi."

Barry was surprised by what he saw. The man had not known what to expect but seeing Kara look so…vunerable…surprised him. He had not really taken the time to notice how thin she was, how pale she was. When he had first met her 6 years ago, her skin wasn't exactly tanned but neither was it pale, just had a healthy glow. There was no glow now. Her deep blue eyes were bloodshot. Barry was happy to see her hands weren't shaking but she was clenching her fists, quite hard considering the strain the tendons in her forearms was obvious.

Still her smile remained the same.

"So…thanks for bringing Clark. You didn't have to. I'm glad you did but…uh…anyway, thanks."

Barry shook his head. "It was no problem. I was hoping to just see you with my own eyes, to make sure you were okay. You look better. How are you feeling?"

"Like hell." Kara answered him, surprising Barry with honesty. "Why? Why did you want to see me? Why do you care? I appreciate it but is there one thing I have done since you have known me, that should make you care about me? I don't understand."

Barry stepped closer to her, not close enough to be in her space but at least enough that her eyes couldn't avoid him.

"You were the first one who believed me. Yeah, you didn't tell me the whole truth and I understand that you couldn't, but you could have simply told me I was crazy and walked away. You didn't. You told me you believed me. No one else ever had before. You gave me hope, confidence that I wasn't crazy. Do you have any idea how important that was for me to hear? Since my mother died, all I had in my life were people telling me I was confused, seeing things, lying to protect my father. I had almost given up before I met you. I had almost convinced myself that the whole search for the truth thing was pointless. You are the one who kept me believing. Besides, I kind of like you, even if you are a Star Wars nerd."

Kara would usually laugh when he brought up one of the fundamental differences they had always had. Today, she didn't have it in her.

"I'm sorry, Barry. I realize that maybe our meeting up again and seeing each other again, it hasn't worked out the way you thought it would. My life, me, I'm a mess. I didn't want you caught up in it before, I stayed away to protect you from me but when I saw you again, I couldn't help myself. I…I'm going to be going through some stuff the next month or so. I don't know what is going to happen. They are going to give me some experimental medicines. This isn't the first time it has happened but I think these are going to actually effect me. How they will effect me is what has me so worried. I knew how I was living my life was not good on so many levels but it was mine. I knew what to expect, I knew how to cope, I knew how to live at least. Now I know nothing."

Barry nodded his head, not saying anything, not moving when Kara walked to the window and closed her eyes as the sunbeams hit her face.

"It is taking everything in me not to fly out of here. I really need…something. Okay, I need a drink. If I didn't have my powers and asked you to take me away from here, would you?"

Barry thought about it, surprised by the question. He had a feeling this was a test but had no idea what the right answer was.

Then he remembered Clark asking him not to be like Nightwing.

"A week ago, yeah, no doubt. But you aren't being kept against your will now. If you decided to stay you know you have some things to take care of. If you gave up on that you would have to walk away yourself. I wouldn't do it for you. I wouldn't stop you but I won't help you hurt yourself."

Kara turned back from the window and met his eyes. He seemed genuine and she was not sure how she felt about that.

"Thats different." she admitted. Kara could always make Dick Grayson do whatever she wanted. Since she was 18 the boy was a pawn in her hand, not that she ever admitted to herself that she treated him like one. It was true none the less. Kara had Dick Grayson wrapped around her finger and could make him do anything.

Perhaps Barry Allen was different.

The girl was not sure how she felt about that. Everything was changing. Control was everything to her as far as others went. Now everything was out of control.

"Yeah, I guess." Barry agreed. "We are kind of use to helping people by doing something. Doing nothing is harder but sometimes I guess it has to happen. Want to take a walk? I've never been to Kentucky before, especially the forests. Not much of an outdoorsman, believe it or not."

Kara agreed and the two walked side by side. She had not really taken the time to see the area herself. She thought the temptation to run would be too great so she had stayed underground since she returned with Alex. Now that she was able, the girl really took in the scenery.

Kara heard a song she had only heard on the internet before and reached back placing a hand on Barry's lightning bolt covered chest.

"Shh! Listen." she whispered. "She is close."

Barry did listen hard, wondering what enemy could be coming that had Kara keeping him quiet and in stealth mode.

Hearing nothing, he finally got her attention and shrugged his shoulders.

Kara grinned and whispered once again. "I've never seen or heard one in person. Hear that bird singing? Its a Kentucky Warbler. They nest on the ground and stay low in the forest. Okay, I got her. She is in a tree about a hundred or so yards from us. There is no way we can sneak up on her. I would have to fly and don't really need the temptation. I wish you could see her. She is beautiful. Yellow underbelly, black sideburns and yellow striping around the eyes. Kind of like glasses."

Barry was impressed and surprised. Kara had what seemed like a natural smile on her face.

"You are a bird watcher?"

Kara nodded her head. "When I first landed they were the first species I saw. I thought they may rule the Earth considering their numbers. We had no birds on Krypton. By the time I was born they had all become extinct due to the planet dying. I had never seen any living creature as beautiful as them. I tried to communicate with them and of course you know how that worked out. I was always fascinated with them though. It was the only good thing about learning to fly, seeing them up close in the air. Ironically Alex hated bird watching but Eliza insisted she give it a try. Thats when she saw me and Clark going into the cave to hide and found us. I don't consider myself a bird watcher. I just like to appreciate beauty wherever I can find it and birds are nearly everywhere. Wildlife is the true beauty of this world. If humans lived on a planet without it, perhaps they would appreciate what they have more."

Barry was surprised. Kara had told him things about herself before, six years ago. He knew she was a fan of wildlife but not of cages. Knowing what he knew now, it made sense.

"Was there any wildlife at all on Krypton?"

Kara shook her head. "No, the planet was too inhospitable. I overheard rumors of monsters in some of the more barren areas but none were ever confirmed. We should go back. Do you want to talk to Caitlin before you have to go back?"

Barry thought about it.

"If she has the time but probably not. I would rather she be doing whatever she is doing. I guess you are going to start soon on these medications?"

"In a couple hours. I'm going to be given mood stabilizers first. Some of these drugs can make a person suicidal so I will be under red lights with Alex. Depending on how my body reacts Caitlin and the other doctor will make adjustments. The hard part is going to be finding a drug that can react with my cells, keeping the same effects whether I have my powers or not. That way I won't have to take different dosages depending on if I want my powers or not. If it doesn't work and I can't just use a bracelet or lightbulb to negate the solar energy in me…then I guess I have a big decision to make."

The caught the man's attention. "You aren't going to give up, are you? Because it could take some time…"

"I'll avoid red sunlight until my body heals from the hell I have put it through. Then I might give up…I always planned to give up being Supergirl when I was 30, when Clark was old enough to have mastered his powers and at least defend himself against anything. Kelex developed a crystal that can be implanted in my body and negate my cells ability to metabolize solar energy. My powers would be gone for good as long as it was inside me. Thats what I have always wanted. So if I can't switch them on and off, if its a choice between being Supergirl full time or being …me, I think I want to be me. To be like I used to be. I'm going to wait though. I will give them a chance, but if all else fails and I have to make a decision, I think I know what that decision is going to be."

The two walked in silence, taking in the sun and the large areas of shade from the massive tress. After too short a time they had made it back into the cabin.

"Look, I realize this isn't a great time to ask you on a date, but I was serious when I said I wanted to be here for you. You need a friend who doesn't dress like a bat 90% of the time, right? Text me, call me, no matter what time of the day or night. If you are bored and want someone to watch movies with because I know you and Alex have very different tastes, I will be here."

"I will." Kara promised. "Just give me a few days. I'm not sure what is going to happen but if I start to drool or seeing things that aren't there…again maybe we could check out this Firefly you talked about. Clark is staying and I am sure will need a video game partner. Thanks Barry, for everything."

Kara leaned up and kissed the man's cheek then with a smile, moved towards the elevator. Barry never moved until the door closed and she was gone.

Walking outside, he reluctantly pulled his mask on and prepared to leave.

Should he tell her about Lobo's concern over some red ring? Should he have told her he met with Jessica the night before and began his own therapy sessions?

No, it wasn't important. Right now she was safe, underground in a fortress. There would be no fights or red rings flying from the sky to help her and take her over. He would tell her later if she decided to take up the cape again but right now, Kara needed to focus on herself and nothing else. He really didn't have enough information and she didn't need any additional worries.

Taking a deep breath, the man took off for Central City, already counting the days until she called him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **A/N- Thank you for the reviews last chapter. I think I have gotten back to all of you but if I haven't shoot me a line. By the way I am going to brag a bit about my prophetic powers. In Call Me Kara, I portrayed Alex as gay before the show ever announced it. I also predicted Prometheus as a CW villain, but their version of Prometheus was nothing like the one in the comics, completely different character so I can't take credit for that. But in the first season of Supergirl when the Master Jailer episode was on, Alex made a comment to J'onn about the bodies, asking if J'onn thought it was "him" that did it. I found out later the writers were referencing a bounty hunter everybody in the galaxy was scared of, Lobo. The first episode of the crossover while Kara is fighting the Dominator and the people in the DEO are guessing what kind, Alex asked if it was a …Czarnian. Since they are a peaceful race and all dead, I am guessing Alex was talking about Lobo again. I'm telling you, if CW doesn't screw up and cancel this show, Lobo is coming to Supergirl some day.**

 **Chapter 13 From the beginning.**

Kara paced back and forth in the small room, using every bit of the will power that still remained in her not to fly out of what was quickly becoming an underground hell. She felt restless, trapped, bored and needed to do…something.

The physical withdrawals were over. Now she was dealing with the psychological effects. In the past when the girl wanted to relax she could drink, fly, both preferably. Now she had nothing and no idea what to do with her time. She couldn't work out in the gym any longer because she had to spend at least four hours a day in a sun bed for a week in hopes that her liver would begin to heal. That meant no red sunlight and no hitting things hard that wouldn't break. Her heart rate was monitored at night as well and since she had not been sleeping, that meant lying in bed, still all night so the leads wouldn't be jostled.

"Stop pacing and come play video games with me." Clark ordered. "Mom said its time for a sedative and an anti worry drug. You need to sleep and I need back up. You can help me until you pass out."

"I don't want to pass out." Kara grumbled.

"Yeah but something tells me a sedative, by its very definition, could lead to sleeping. Call of Duty is up and I need a partner. Alex is fighting a wooden dummy so that leaves you." he argued.

Kara shook her head, her irritation still present, but Clark in the past couple years had gotten over his fear of irritating her.

"Number one, you aren't supposed to play Call of Duty, especially online here and number two I am not anxious, I am bored."

"So we play video games." the boy reasoned. "Kelex can get us a secure connection, and Mom and Dad are in the lab. We put in some Disney movie, play the downloaded version of Call of Duty and when Mom and Dad come to check on you we switch to the Disney movie. We have done this before, Kara. Why are you scared now?"

"I am not scared." Kara countered, refusing to be baited. "You are spoiled and have become too used to getting what you want."

"Lets not start on who gets what who wants. Batman built a hospital for you."

Kara shook her head and continued pacing. "I didn't want this."

"No, I know what you wanted and you told me you wouldn't anymore. Plus I don't hear you complaining about that piece of junk motorcycle that showed up."

"That is not a piece of junk! Do you know how much that bike is worth even in the shape it is in now? Its worth six figures now and more when I restore it. The fact that it was found is a miracle. As a piece of art, it is priceless."

Clark moaned, as he often did when Kara began speaking of the history of machines that were much, much slower than they could move.

"Great, its priceless. Batman had people looking all over Europe to give you a birthday gift and you call me spoiled. Take your medicine and play with me. I'm doing you a favor. You know Alex is better at the game than you are, but since you are bored I am giving up a sure win for you."

Kara did as instructed, a bit annoyed, She was as good as Alex. Clark was the weak link when the three played together. Granted her and Alex had trained with special forces soldiers from their early teens while thankfully Clark had not needed to learn the same.

Before Kara began, Shay Veritas and Caitlin Snow were in the room, giving her two pills, one, an anti anxiety medication and the other a sedative that should allow her to sleep without nightmares, in theory. It had been decided to find a medication combo while she was powered and then test the designer drugs Caitlin had developed for her when the right combo could be found. Once a set had been approved, the ability to depower as her cells did and then power up would be tested. This was the most worrisome because if Kara lost her powers and the drugs did not react on a cellular level with her solar metabolization, then the large dose of drugs could cause her to crash. In that case yellow sunlight would have to be administered very quickly along with intubation if she stopped breathing followed by Narcan through the breathing tube.

For now, every pill Kara took was a leap of faith. Fortunately and unfortunately if there was anything Kara was not afraid of, it was taking drugs.

Tomorrow she would have her first meeting with a new counselor and have an actual mental health evaluation to determine what other shrinks she would need. To say Kara was not excited about the idea of more therapy would have been an understatement. During the early years with Jessica, Kara had figured her out, figured out what to say and not say to give the woman enough to not push. Once her drinking had been impossible to keep hidden did the woman start pushing again and as was the norm in their relationship, when Jessica pushed, Kara pushed back, became defensive and retreated into herself. She said anything she had to say so her family would not look at her too closely. After Myriad she was supposed to have been alright. She went to college, graduated, did what they wanted. She felt as long as she could be the perfect daughter maybe they wouldn't have noticed that she was still broken. Lies were her friend and she lived by them.

Now the girl was in a position where she had to be honest. She promised Alex and Kara would be lying again if she said she wasn't afraid of what this eval would say about her. Yes, Kara knew she was, in her mind, screwed up, even broken. Living in denial worked though and hearing someone she didn't know, someone neutral, telling her the same thing frightened her.

"So what exactly are these pills?" Kara asked.

"The blue one is a sedative that should help you sleep, and hopefully lessen your dreams, or…nightmares, I guess." Caitlin explained. "The other is an anti anxiety medication, like Xanax. It should help with some of the restlessness you are feeling. Benzodiazepines are fast acting but could cause drowsiness and possibly nausea so if you could eat something before you fall asleep…"

"I don't sleep. I never sleep. I don't even need to eat. Why would I want to eat if it could feel nause…"

"Would you just do what she says?" Clark asked sharply.

Kara took a deep breath and smiled. "I will do my best to eat something. Perhaps a sandwich."

"Excellent!" Caitlin agreed, and walked off quickly. Kara gave Clark a very pointed look.

"What? She wasn't going to leave until you agreed, and you said you would do what you are supposed to. Thats what you always sound like when you are bossy with me. Now its your turn. Take your medicine, eat your sandwich and lets play."

Kara shook her head. "I think I miss the times you were afraid of me." she mumbled.

"Not me. Ready? Take your pills already."

Kara swallowed the two pills and quickly moved to the refrigerator in Clark's room and grabbed a bottle of water, perhaps hoping she could pretend it was her latest favorite drink that was very strong and had no odor. This happened to be water but it did help wash the pills down.

"They are going to start an anti depressant tonight. It will take three weeks probably to build up in your system. Those side effects could be worse…"

"How do you know all this?" Kara asked, stopping his rambling.

"Are you serious?" the boy asked. "I listen to everything. I didn't come here just so you could lose at video games and watch you snap at everybody. I have been doing some research on this stuff. If they really work, you could sleep better and not have nightmares. You might even get out of bed happy in the mornings or even get out of bed everyday instead of hiding under the covers. We are from space and have a flying robot in an ice castle so anything is possible."

The blonde shook her head, realizing that her brother knew way too much about mental health medication. More than any 11 year old should know, because of her.

"Shut up and lets play." she ordered.

It was 20 minutes later, after the two were on a 32 kill streak and Kara had downed a sandwich while watching Clark's virtual back when she dropped into a deep sleep suddenly. Clark nearly freaked, thinking she had died until she started snoring. The boy called Alex who ran inside and picked Kara's torso up while Clark grabbed her legs and they deposited her into bed.

"Causes drowsiness, huh? She was awake one second and passed out the next. This is bad."

"It will be okay, Clark. They are going to …"

"No, she needs sleep. I am surrounded by the red team and need a partner. Take her controller, quick."

Alex shook her head but did as instructed, helping the boy regain his hold on Nuke City. They played uninterrupted for an hour until he heard his mother coming. Moving at super speed, he closed the game and popped in a Blu Ray. Eliza knowingly took in her innocent son and daughter.

"Good movie?"

"The best." Clark agreed.

"I didn't realize you liked Cinderella that much, Clark."

Neither sibling looked at her.

Eliza took a deep breath, giving up. She knew Clark loved online gaming and her two daughters would not discourage him.

"She fell asleep quickly. Lets hope it lasts." Eliza noted. "Maybe if she can get four hours now and all night later then…I guess we will see. Good luck killing your online enemies you two. Your father and I will be monitoring Kara. Bruce has had Streaky delivered. I will bring her down soon after she has eaten."

"Sounds good Mom." Alex agreed.

"And then perhaps we can have a talk about a League of something or another? I can't remember but I am sure you do, right Alex?" Eliza asked pointedly, looking at Clark.

"Tonight, after bed time might be a good time. I would just like to say beforehand that I wasn't present, I didn't know and its not my fault."

Clark laughed. "Thats usually my line. It was called the League of Assassins, Mom. I was listening to Kara that night, remember? Assassins, like Assassins Creed, only real. She was the head of them for like five minutes. I know all, I hear all, I see all."

"Good, you can see my face and hear me when I ground you and know that I will mean it if you eavesdrop one more time on anyone, understand Mr. Know It All?"

"Yes Ma'am. Sorry." the boy quickly agreed.

Kara did wake four hours later and promptly ran to the bathroom, vomiting the sandwich she had consumed before she fell asleep. She also broke a sink in frustration, hitting it and causing the porcelain to shatter. Thankfully Jeremiah was able to shut off the water quickly. Eliza handed Kara a mop. Instead of using it, Kara lit her eyes up just a bit for the water in the bathroom to evaporate. Neither parent was amused.

Caitlin and Shay shook their heads, deciding it would be back to the lab for adjustments. No one forced the blonde to eat again that night but did give her a sedative, leaving the benzo off the list for now. They knew it wouldn't be easy and this was only the beginning. Though neither would admit it, they had both secretly hoped they would get it right the first time and wondered what side effects Kara would have to live with and if she could ever be as effective as she once was at battling threats to the world.

It didn't matter. They were treating Kara, not Supergirl and the goal was effective treatment with as few side effects as possible.

Back to the drawing board.

 **National City**

"Kara! My office now!" Cat Grant screamed.

J'onn in the familiar form of a dark red haired, green eyed girl wearing glasses walked in quickly.

"Yes Miss Grant?"

Cat took a look at the perfect likeness of Kara. It still creeped her out.

"Close the door." she ordered.

Once the door was closed Cat motioned for the girl / Martian to sit on the couch across from her.

"You said you would be seen around the office and then take a sabbatical, Fake Kara. You did not want her sudden disappearance to be noted by any coworkers. I said fine, walk around, do as little as possible and surf the internet. That is what Kara does, so you shouldn't be noticed."

"I think I have done an outstanding job at being incompetent and uncaring." J'onn defended himself.

"You have done a poor job at all aspects of her life. You have been friendly with James Olsen. Kara is always passively aggressive and sarcastic with him, often throwing General Lane and Lois Jr in his face. He seems to think Kara is warming to him now. You are also not using my private elevator."

"Its…your elevator. You let Kara use your elevator?"

"Of course not. She does it anyway. I threatened to fire her once for it and she flew to Metropolis. Remember the series of interviews she gave Chloe Sullivan of the Daily Planet? That hack reporter won multiple awards for those interviews. Since that day I have never said a word. Everyone knows that Kara uses that elevator and I pretend not to notice. My schedule has been in disarray because Sheri or whatever her name is cannot keep track of my appointments."

"Kara organized your schedule?" J'onn asked. From everything he had gleamed from others minds, Kara did not do much in the way of actually being a personal assistant.

"Of course not but her personal robot was excellent. She does not make eye contact with the other employees. Most of them think she believes herself above them but the truth is outside of Lois, Jimmy and I, she doesn't like to look anyone directly in the eye. You have been acting like a High School student running for Student Body President and pandering for votes. Where is my Kara? I want her back. I need her robot and for some odd reason I miss her complete disregard for my wishes. I haven't had a cheeseburger since she has disappeared."

J'onn rubbed his forehead, knocking the glasses off the bridge if his nose because he could never remember they were there. He had shown up a week ago, hoping to cover for various aspects of Kara's life so she would not be completely missed. His first morning he had made the mistake of bringing Cat her favorite latte and it was hot. Miss Grant immediately demanded to know where Kara was and what whatever he was had done to her.

Once the Martian explained that she was on a secret mission and that he was actually the flying green man that assisted her in battles at times, the woman demanded to know more. In exchange for the list of sick kids Kara visited, he had to provide some information on a fake mission but not enough for the woman to dig further. The Martian had shown up three times at work this week, never for more than a couple hours after he figured out that Kara was not exactly an excellent employee with high aspirations in the media world.

"I will try to be more disrespectful for the remainder of the week, Miss Grant. I will let it slip to Lane that I am taking vacation time starting next week and you and Siobhan, if you were wondering her actual name…"

"I wasn't."

"…can continue on with your life."

Cat glared at Fake Kara. This respectful, but vague version of her was not acceptable. She wanted the disrespectful, brutally honest version of Kara. She also knew this Martian was hiding something. Kara did not take secret missions. She hated the idea of working with any Government agency and only assisted the Men in Black at times.

"You have been failing as Supergirl as well. You were at a robbery yesterday, a jewelry store, correct?"

"Yes… and I caught the suspects."

"Yes, but there was a fire ten miles away, an apartment building. Kara always stops to ask the Captain in charge if they need assistance. You ignored it."

J'onn clenched his jaw, already preparing for the berating on another aspect of Kara's life. Not for the first time, J'onn wondered if Kara's desire to be around this woman was just another form of self harm she practised.

"I did not know that. I do not have an advanced supercomputer in my ear keeping me abreast of every emergency situation."

"You should have heard it. Is your green hearing not on par with hers?"

"No, it is not." the man grumbled, the fake smile leaving his face quickly.

"I want to know where she is." Cat ordered.

"Need to know information. You don't need to know." he responded…again. He had read enough of Cat Grant's mind and knew quite a bit about the woman. What surprised him the most, is she actually cared for Kara, not just as Supergirl who made headlines for her reporters, specifically Lois Lane. He also knew that Cat suspected Kara had serious drinking problems and had been losing weight, as well as how red her eyes had been from lack of sleep.

"I need to know. Tell me."

J'onn took a deep breath and wondered what he should say. If he failed, if the Government figured out that he wasn't Supergirl, the most logical place for them to investigate what was going on with her was Cat Grant. Kara may as well have worn a Catco logo on her cape and the Catco building should have had a big S on its side. If someone important needed to get a hold of Supergirl, they simply went through Lois Lane or Cat Grant. Catco ran Kara's charity, she had a division fielding calls from hospitals and Make a Wish Foundations across the world with requests for Supergirl. Catco was Supergirl Central and Cat Grant and Lois Lane would be first in line if anyone suspected something was wrong.

"I won't tell you her location. If anyone figures out that I am not Supergirl, you and Lois are the first targets for information."

"And neither of us would tell anyone."

"Even if a guy in a black suit had a gun to Carter's head?"

J'onn's question shocked Cat momentarily. The woman just realized how much of a target her son could be. The men after information would not care who she was.

Saying nothing, not knowing what to say, J'onn finally answered the question to an extent.

"She is in a rehab faciltiy. She will be for some months. I will be making appearances over major cities and helping as I can but Supergirl will not be seen as much. Just enough so the bad guys of the world don't think she is gone and they can do as they please."

Cat sat in silence for a moment and then stood, walking towards her desk and finally having a seat. Closing her eyes, she laid her head back and tried to clear her mind. What a mess. The last time Supergirl had been gone for an extended period of time, crime had risen across the nation. Kara started working for her shortly after she came back onto the scene but Cat never could get her whereabouts from her.

And the woman doubted she needed to. It was obvious to her that somehow the invincible girl had tried to commit suicide. The woman had seen all the signs and ignored them, not admitting it to herself at the time. Every time a child she had been visiting in a cancer ward died, Kara always found herself on Cat's balcony and it seemed a bit of her soul died as well. Cat wished many times that she had ever told Kara about the first child who wanted to see her on her death bed. It was too much for any 18 year old to take, much less one who already had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"Did she try to kill herself again?" Cat asked quietly.

J'onn was surprised. "She told you about that?"

"She didn't have to." Grant answered. "So did she?"

"No. As I said she was taken to a secret rehab facility. She could be gone for some time."

Cat shook her head and smiled. "I know that girl. How did you force the most powerful person in the Universe into a facility? Because Kara would never agree to go to one, believe me. It was enough of a struggle to get her to go to therapy. So what is next? I am assuming you can't help at fires because the world will expect her to use her very cold breath. Since I have never seen you use space vision, that is out as well. How much trouble will you have dealing with aliens?"

"No trouble. Actually it might not be that easy, since my skill set is different than Kara's as you have noted. But I will take them out of city limits somewhere private and deal with them."

The woman considered this and nodded her head. "Give me prior knowledge of your whereabouts and Olsen can take photos at times of you flying. We print enough that the world thinks she is still around. Lets talk about the children. I will start easing off the requests for her time. There cannot be anymore visits as a child is dying. That is too much. I have received three concerned calls in the last few days. When you are visiting with children in hospitals or on the street, please watch more video of Kara and try to act as she does. Kara does not stand with her fists on her hips in some weird pose. Also the smile has to seem natural. Yours is so big it is scaring children. One social worker asked me if she had been hit with some drug by that psychotic clown in Gotham."

"Noted." the Martian agreed. Connolly had made comments about him looking a bit psychotic when he smiled. The superhero pose was a bit much but he had thought Kara would always look stronger and more confident if she tried it. Perhaps in hindsight it was a mistake. The Martian had perfected the Superhero landing and hair flip, however. It was not as easy as Kara made it look and he considered that a huge win.

"I am going to let it slip that your vacation, sabbatical, whatever we call it, begins tomorrow. Tell her she will have a job or at least a place to relax and for some reason be paid for it when she is ready. If possible, I would like to see her. I realize this most likely is a difficult time but as soon as she is somewhat…"

Cat stopped speaking and J'onn was shocked to see a tear on her cheek. The woman quickly wiped it off and sat straight.

"Keep me informed. Good day Fake Kara. Please do not bother me anymore. Her incompetence can be charming. Yours is annoying. Ease up on the smile. I will email Kelex her appearance schedule and start trimming it back until she is no longer having appointments. She can decide what she wants to do after she is better. Now be gone."

J'onn walked out quickly, feeling much better now that he was done with the Kara Danvers facade. Cat Grant knowing was actually a blessing but having to push off Jimmy Olsen's advances had been getting old. The Martian had considered lobotomizing him more than once.

 **Central City**

The best friends sat side by side on Cisco's couch, having nothing to do. It had been two days since Barry had seen Kara and had no doubt she was in the middle of multiple medication tests and therapy. After work he and Cisco had come to the his apartment, since S.T.A.R. labs was basically as silent as a graveyard. With Caitlin gone, and Harry and Jessie back on their Earth, there was no reason to hang out there.

Instead they watched TV while devouring pizzas. Perhaps Cisco eating a slice and Barry devouring the rest would be a more apt description.

"So…how was it?" Cisco started.

"How was what? The pizza?"

"No…how was therapy? You had your first session with that shrink Super sister recommended, right? What was it like? Is she hot? A cougar? What did she ask you? Give me details."

Barry shook his head, already irritated and ready to leave.

"The whole point of therapy is that it is confidential. It was just a get to know each other session. Nothing more."

Cisco shook his head, knowing Barry wasn't telling him everything but he probably shouldn't push. It wasn't his business.

"So what did she ask to get to know you?" he asked anyway.

Barry shook his head and did not respond. There was really nothing to say even if he had wanted to. He and Jessica had talked for two hours but it was nothing more than a get to know you session. Of course getting to know Barry Allen's life since he was ten could take a while even with an abridged version so the one hour session turned into two.

"Normal stuff. My life, my parents, Thawne, my job, Zoom, Joe and Iris. Just general stuff."

"Oh, okay." Cisco told him letting it go. He wanted to know everything but understood that whatever was going on with Barry was private. Barry hadn't given details but Cisco had a feeling his last meeting with Kara had not gone well. He had been gone the entire weekend and Cisco wondered several times if he was making up for lost time with the hottest alien on Earth but by the look on Barry's face when he returned, it was obvious not everything was okay. Barry also showed no surprise or concern about Caitlin being gone, only saying she was working and was safe…and probably rich now.

Something was up with Supergirl. After the visit from Batman the day Barry and Supergirl reconnected, Cisco had time to really think. At the time he was having a hard time keeping multiple emotions in check.

He was scared that Batman was waiting for him in the dark. After his fear passed he fought himself to not ask a million questions about the man's suit. He struggled not to mention how hot Supergirl looked in that all blue, abs baring costume. He feared for Joe when the man aimed a gun at Batman who did not seem concerned in the least. He didn't know what to feel when Joe's arm was bent back and his gun taken by a thin girl who looked a lot like the National City vigilante that worked with Supergirl. Then of course she brought Nightwing who pretty much claimed Kara in front of them all. Cisco was a bit surprised he didn't try to brand the blonde with some Bat symbol…or wing. Whatever that symbol was. The Nightwing name made no sense and not for the first time he wondered what idiot came up with it.

After some time had passed, he was able to analyze the events, mainly the events around Supergirl.

When Batman had told them he needed to take Harrison Wells in because he was the best chance the man had of staying alive, Cisco had not given it much thought. Afterwards, it was obvious Batman was insinuating that Supergirl would have killed Wells if she had the chance.

But Supergirl didn't kill bad guys.

Next Barry arrived and asked Batman why he shouldn't throw him out.

Enter Supergirl, threatening to rip Barry apart if she touched her black clad friend. At least until she knew who the Flash really was. A change came over her then, but before she realized it was Barry, that blonde hero had a murderous look in her eye. She wanted a fight and if she couldn't have gotten Harrison Wells, she would have taken down the Flash and had been looking forward to it.

Now some superstrong, demon resembling alien arrives and helps Barry out with Killer Croc. Apparently this guy is a friend of Supergirl.

Cisco was quickly figuring out that what the public knew about her was not the whole story and may be a completely false story. Yes, she had done a lot of good, no one doubted that. But there was something about her that the world was not getting and he had a feeling Barry found out about it the weekend he went to meet her parents.

The two sat through three Indiana Jones films before Cisco dragged himself to bed, telling Barry to lock up on his way out or if he decided to pass out on the couch. Finally alone, Barry thought of his options. He could run. He could go home and go to sleep. He could go home and not sleep as the case had been lately.

His dilemma on what to do after midnight was solved when his phone rang. The number was unknown but he knew who it was.

Kelex.

"Kara?" he answered, hoping it wouldn't be just an update from Tom HIddleston's voice.

"Do I look like Kara?" Clark asked.

Barry put his head in his hands but kept the phone to his ear.

"I can't exactly see what you look like…"

"Oh right because you don't have our super telescopic vision. Do you know we don't even need microscopes if we try hard enough? Thats some great eyesight we have. But hey, you still have the running thing down so thats…something."

"Clark, its after midnight here, after 1 AM where you are. What are you doing up and why are you calling me?"

"Because Kara is actually sleeping, meaning Alex, Mom and Dad are sleeping. I can't sleep because I am bored and I was going to sleep in Kara's room with her but she has super snoring down too. Alex is next to her. I don't know how she can stand it but apparently after all these years, she has gotten used to those sounds Kara makes. The doctors and staff are working, Batman is brooding in the basement and I have absolutely no one to play X Box with. I knew you would be up, so Kelex hooked me up with a secure signal. Kelex says there is an X Box where you are at. He is about to turn on your TV and X Box. Grab a controller."

"He can't…"

Barry stopped speaking when the TV switched on and Cisco's X Box lit up.

"How did you…did he do that?" the man asked quietly.

"Magic. Oh and technology a few thousand light years ahead of this planet. Kelex keeps this world safe from digital attacks by off worlders. You seriously think he can't break into your little grunge friend's low tech? How are you feeling about Destiny 2?"

"Fine." Barry grumbled. He actually didn't have anything better to do and talking to Clark could be fun…and made him feel closer to Kara. "So uh…how have you been doing/"

"How is she doing you mean but thanks for the effort. She is doing okay. The sleeping pills are helping her. Just got to get her some serious nasal strips and we should be good. She did shatter a sink because she was mad about puking up a sandwich so the temper issues are still being resolved and everything else is in the early stages. I'll keep you updated as long as you keep these late night contests to yourself."

"Deal." the man agreed. Clark's avatar appeared on his screen…

"Stinky? Your player name is Stinky?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"Alex is in control of the Fortress, meaning she controls Kelex and Justin and all the other toys we have. When she is in control she sets the Avatar names. When Kara is in control she usually has Alex's as Daxamite Harlot. Not sure what that is all about. Something about Alex letting Kara drink ocean water when she first arrived and short skirts. I don't know, they giggle a lot and I lose interest. Get on my six and watch my back. I am going in."

The two played for ten minutes before Clark spoke again.

"Nice shooting back there. Hey, I don't want you to worry, but Batman, I guess you know who he is, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Yeah, so he didn't just have this hospital, secret base, bunker thing built for Kara, he also had guys searching European junk yards for this really rare and expensive bike. Kara actually broke her bad mood and smiled. May have been a few tears invovled. Apparently this piece of junk is worth six figures in the pathetic shape its in. Once she fixes it up the thing will probably make her a millionaire if she ever sells it. I just wanted to give you a heads up, let you know what you are up against."

"Hey thats great. I know she loves rebuilding…what I am up against? What do you mean?"

Barry swore if he could see the kid he would have an evil grin on his face right now, despite how calm and serious he sounded.

"Nothing! She really likes you. I didn't think Nightwing would be a threat. Nobody really liked him but Kara…okay Alex and him are pretty tight. But hey, you had no worries there. I always kind of had you as the front runner, because Batman is old enough to be her Dad."

"Yeah…yeah, he is."

"Then I thought, wait a second, don't old billionaires marry young blondes? Yep, pretty sure its common practice. So I looked up some details on him. He isn't as old as I thought. I think the grumpiness makes him seem old but he isn't much older than Dante and I always kind of heard there was or wasn't something going on with her about him. I'm not one to gossip though…hey would you watch your back? I can't take this level if you are constantly regenerating! Anyway, yeah, he isn't as old as I thought he was and him and Kara have been in some pretty tense situations together. They fought crazy clowns and crazy aliens together. Him and Nightwing have always kind of hung out with Kara and Alex. We had their birthday party one year on his yacht. So just wanted to give you a heads up. I am pretty sure you having superpowers would be more impressive to her than some rich, good-looking guy who is a superhero even though he doesn't have any superpowers and has gone to war by her side."

Barry shook his head, enjoying Clark's constant attempts to get a reaction from him and annoyed at the same time. Batman? As if. Just because the tabloids were always starting rumors did not make it true.

"Kara does not need to worry about anything but herself. You need to stop worrying about her dating life. Or mine for that matter."

"Just trying to be helpful. Do it your way. Just when you do it your way, try not to open any anomalies or travel back in time, okay? Do you know he hasn't left this building since she was brought in? He steps outside with Alex or my parents at times but spends most of his time doing Bat stuff and talking to Kara. I'm sure he just sees her as a daughter or something."

"Exactly…"

"But he doesn't seem to be the parenting type. It doesn't matter. You are right, all she needs to focus on is me and herself. Its not like even if he was interested he would use this opportunity to bond with her more than he already has. I doubt he would ever try anything like that, even if she is the only person who can really understand him. Thats what he tells her all the time, anyway. He probably buys priceless bikes and has parties on yachts for all his friends…but I don't think he really has any friends. Probably nothing."

Barry sat in silence, focusing on the game. After five minutes he shot Clark in the back of virtual head.

"What the heck was that?"

"That was me shooting your Avatar in the head, Stinky. I am out. I have work in a few hours."

 **The Block, Kentucky**

In the morning, Kara had a visitor she had been waiting on since she arrived here.

"Hey. I was wondering when you would come." Kara greeted her long time therapist.

Jess shrugged her shoulders. "I wasn't sure you would want to see me."

Kara motioned her to a seat in her room and took one across from her. Alex was still asleep on the bed and judging by her heartbeat she was not faking.

"I wasn't sure if you would want to see me." the blonde admitted. "Guess you were told about the other stuff?"

Jessica shook her head. "What other stuff? I have been talking to your mother but she didn't say anything about other problems? How much damage have you done to your…"

"Stop." Kara told her. "It isn't about that. I can heal…I hope. I was talking about the other stuff. The box cutter, the drug use. I guess you didn't know."

Ryan dropped her head, disappointed in herself and wondering what else Kara had slipped past her over the years. She had been so focused on Kara's anger and alcohol use, she had never thought of other drugs or the girl resuming cutting herself.

"I'm sorry." the woman whispered, surprising Kara.

"Why are you sorry? I'm the one who did it. I lied to you, I lied to everyone. I figured you found out and were keeping your distance…"

"I failed you." Jessica told her.

Kara shook her head and moved up in her seat, placing a hand on Jessica's shoulder, she met the woman's eyes.

"Everything I have done is on me. I lied to you and everyone else. That isn't your fault. It's just…who I am, I guess."

Jessica took a deep breath to control her emotions. "I was the one who was supposed to know when you were lying. It was my responsibility. What…what drugs were you using? Human?"

"Alien." Kara answered, hating to see the flash of pain that crossed the woman's face.

"I…Kara…"

"Jess, its my fault. I could have told you a lot the last few years but I chose not to. You got me through my teen years. You let me tell you things I never would have told anyone, even Alex."

Jessica smiled, knowing that was not true.

"Alex knows more about you than anyone ever will."

"True but she hasn't known most of the stuff I have done the past year either. I didn't want anyone to know how bad it had gotten. I wanted to be strong and I wasn't. So… are we going to…"

Jessica shook her head.

"I can't be impartial with you, Kara. You need more than I can give. You are going to have to settle for me being your friend. I'll be with you, anytime you want to talk but for therapy to work you are going to have to be honest. We have fallen into patterns where we both maybe have some denial. There is a woman here, I don't know her, but Bruce wouldn't have hired her if she wasn't good. You have to open up to her, Kara. She will know when you are lying. She won't let things slide like I apparently did. Not if you want this to work. We finally have a chance to get you the medication you have needed since you were 13. You are going to have a few different therapists and you have to be honest. You have a chance here, Kara. A real chance, so don't screw it up. People who love you are staying by your side in a hole in the ground. Don't take that for granted."

Kara nodded her head, expecting as much. The girl knew when she heard about different therapists seeing her that Jess had most likely taken her as far as Kara let her.

And she was not sure how she felt about that. For the past decade, nearly her entire time on Earth, Jessica had been a constant in her life. She saw the woman at least two times a week, often three and during really bad patches, every day.

Jessica was the one who convinced her she could beat her fear of thunder, beat panic attacks at times. Kara showed the woman every picture she had ever drawn of her nightmares.

At times Kara liked her, loved her, and at others she tolerated her. There were many times after especially difficult sessions Kara swore she hated the woman and told her as much.

But talking to her was a constant in Kara's life. Yes, she had started lying shortly before her second suicide attempt but Jess was comfortable. Kara knew how to act, what to say, what to do with the woman.

Which was probably why Jessica Ryan would not be her therapist anymore.

"I won't. So you are going to just be my friend? Does that mean since you aren't getting paid, if I scream that I hate you, you are going to have to stick around for free?"

Jessica shook her head. "No, I am finally going to get to scream back at you. It should be fun." she told the girl with a smile. "You are going to try an anti depressant this morning. I understand the meds are effecting you, at least in a negative manner. This is good. All medicines have side effects. If you are getting side effects that means they have a chance of working. They just have to figure out how to minimize the side effects. This afternoon you are meeting with Dr. Leslie Thompkins. She has worked as a MD, and a therapist. I understand she runs a clinic in Gotham. I would like to give her some information on you so she can be a little prepared this afternoon. If you aren't okay with that, I understand and won't. I told you no one would ever see my notes."

"Thanks Jess," Kara told her. "But she is going to find out everything anyway. I don't want to rehash my life, so if you could give her the Cliff Notes version that would be great. I am due a cheeseburger and a sedative, meaning I will eat, fall asleep quickly and then wake up and puke. One of many attractive qualities that may attract a husband one day."

Kara sounded as if she was joking but Jess knew better.

"You can have that one day, Kara. You can have the life you always wanted. You just have to decide how badly you want it. If they cannot figure out how to design the drug dosage to increase and decrease with the solar power in your cells, have you given any thought to what you will do?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders and turned her head to the right, her habit when she was deflecting. Since Jessica didn't say anything she decided her new friend should have an answer.

"Yeah, I have. I won't live the next six years without red sunlight. Its probably selfish, but if they can only work under red sunlight I am having the crystal implanted. I overheard Dad mentioning that if I asked for it he would implant it under my femur. Its really small, so I should never notice it. He told Mom he considered putting it just next to my spine near my tailbone but was worried it would be too exposed, especially since I have no plans to give up my motorcycle."

Jessica dropped her head and shoulders in relief. Maybe being here was the wake up call Kara needed if the girl was actually considering giving up if it meant she would live.

"Thats good, Kara. Thats really, really good."

"Not for the people I won't be saving." Kara reminded her. "But I can't focus on Clark being safe if I am dead and…I don't know how much more I could have taken. I still don't know. I am going to try and have faith in the doctors though. Shay is being nice even if I did threaten to send the League of Assassins after her the first time I met her. Caitlin is the doctor who treats Barry when he gets hurt and is brilliant from what Alex says. The meds will work. My only problem right now is boredom. I need to be doing something. All I do is sit here in the one place that reminds me I can never drink again. I still want a drink. Even after the hell I went through to dry out I still want a drink."

Jess nodded her head in understanding. "Kara, you probably always will. Just like you started cutting yourself again, alcohol was something you used, not just to forget but to punish yourself for things that are not your fault. One day you are going to have to realize that you are not a god."

"Yeah," the girl admitted. "That has become crystal clear to me."

The two women hugged and Jessica walked away to find Kara's new chief therapist. After a few minutes of staring at the walls, Alex woke up.

Kara noted she had a bruise her cheek.

"Who hit you!?"

Alex laughed good naturally and rubbed the blue spot.

"You did last night, idiot. You asked me to sleep with you. You were tossing and turning, I wasn't quick enough and got launched out of bed when your hand became acquainted with my back. I wasn't able to stop in midair like some people so, my cheek became acquainted with the floor."

Alex's smile went away when she saw the look on Kara's face.

"Hey Blondie, calm down. You didn't mean it. It is just one of those things that happens. I can usually duck and cover but I guess we have been both been sleeping better. You weren't moaning. No bad dreams?"

The blonde shook her head, making a note to not ask Alex to sleep with her again unless it was under red lights. She had already beat the hell out of her sister during withdrawals and didn't know how much more Alex could take.

"Not that I can remember." Kara told her. "I guess I am just restless and its coming out in my sleep."

"Well, you won't be bored today. I am going to grab your first anti depressant so seeing if you turn blue with pink spots or fly in circles should be fun. Then its a nap with the one drug that seems to be working fine and your first session with your new best friend. A nurse is bringing breakfast. Eat with the antidepressant. It could cause nausea but maybe not. Anything is possible."

Kara took the pill Alex brought back and swallowed, aided with a bottle of water from the fridge. True to word, her breakfast was served shortly after. Despite not really being hungry, the food was too good to put down. Bruce Wayne did not do anything halfway, meaning his hospital food would be the best hospital food in the country.

"Speaking of my new best friend, have you heard from my actual best friend?"

Alex tensed, not wanting to get into this.

"I sent her a text last night letting her know you were staying here of your own free will and she can come anytime, provided…"

"Provided?" Kara nudged, not happy about any provisions.

"Provided she not talk about any superhero, or crime or League of Assassins stuff. You agreed while you were here you would not focus on that stuff. Barry hasn't told you about metas, Bruce is watching the world and all is still fine and we haven't talked about any dangers in the world. This is time for just you."

Kara felt her cheeks grow warm, not from embarrassment.

"You are seriously censoring what I can and cannot know?"

Alex nodded her head slightly. "You promised up top that you would only focus on you. I told you it wouldn't work if you worried about everything else and you agreed. If something happened that you didn't trust others to handle, it would take you two seconds to bust through six layers and fly off towards trouble. She agreed regardless. She doesn't want you to worry about everything. She has some work for a couple days and then wants to see you, if its okay with you. Oh by the way, I had to tell Mom and Dad about the League of Assassins thing. You mentioned using them to kill Veritas and Bruce when you first got here. They were curious."

"Great." the blonde mumbled, no longer hungry.

"Hey, they aren't upset. I mean…they didn't throw a party or anything but…"

"Its exactly the kind of thing they would have expected from me." Kara finished.

"Kara…"

"Its fine, Alex. I know I am not exactly…I know that they know what I do. Its…its fine."

Neither women said anything else, Kara turning on a Blu Ray, seeing that Cinderella was in the X Box for some reason. After an hour of watching Mama Mia, which didn't lift her spirits as it used to, her mother and father walked in with hugs, and a sedative. They also had a tweaked version of the Benzo that had made her sick before. Before taking the pills, she asked for a com link which Alex happily gave her. This meant Alex was still in control, some sort of protocol was in place to not give Kara control until she was deemed mentally stable and no doubt Kelex was forbidden from telling her news of the outside world.

It didn't matter.

"Kelex, connect me to Barry Allen."

"And a good morning to you as well, Kara. One nerdy speedster coming right up."

Kara shook her head, wishing she had never instructed the robot to learn the nuances of sarcasm.

After a few minutes of patient waiting, she heard Barry's voice.

"Kara?"

"Hi. I'm about to have a busy day of being drugged and wanted to just…say hi, I guess. Are you busy? Is this a bad time?'

"Of course not. Nothing going on here thats important." the man answered. He did not tell her he was at the scene of a triple homicide, being stared at by Joe and Captain Singh who were not amused as Barry walked past the crime scene tape and stepped outside to talk.

"Thats good. I was just wondering how you were doing. I'm about to take a medicine that could make me, vomit, space out or fly upside down. Of course it could work but I'm not even sure what work would be in this case."

Barry didn't laugh, catching the sadness in her forced light tone.

"Maybe its just being happy. Isn't that enough?"

Kara thought about it. What would be happy? She had seen the place where she was most happy and in that place, that life, there was nothing to do with being an alien, being Supergirl, killing enemies, taking part in life or death battles, or harming herself by cutting, burning or substance abuse.

In other words that perfect world was unattainable. It always had been. So what would the new happy be? To live everyday, not wondering half the time if she would ever find some enemy that had a chance of killing her or the vague thoughts of whether her family would be better off without her. She did not focus on these thoughts every moment of every day but they were always there in the background.

She would be playing with Clark, having fun but there was always something in the back of her mind, that little voice that said she didn't deserve it, that they would all be better off without her.

Having that voice shut up would be a good start.

"Yeah, that would be nice, if I knew what happy was."

Barry said nothing for a moment, thinking about this. What would be happy for her? He thought he may have an idea.

"That look on your face when you are on your bike or driving a stolen car, that seems like something you can strive for. Maybe its the little things that add up to something big."

Kara was surprised. "Look who turned into a wise man. Been going to therapy yourself?" she joked.

"Yeah, I have. I mean, I started, with Jessica. If it bothers you I won't go to her. I wasn't sure how you would feel about it so I didn't want to bring it up when I saw you because you had so much going on."

The girl shook her head, partly pleased but another part wondered if even having limited contact with her caused people to seek therapy.

But it had nothing to do with her. Barry had lost a lot, and recently his father. You wouldn't know it by the way he acted, at least around her, but it had to be screwing him up. She couldn't imagine what she would do if something happened to any of her family.

"Barry that isn't my decision but I think it is a good one. Jess got me through a lot of stuff. She thinks she let me down but she didn't. I kind of let everyone down. But yeah, I think its great. She is the one person you wouldn't have to keep big secrets from."

In the background, Kara heard a man yell at Barry to get back to the dead bodies. He didn't sound amused.

"Sounds like I did catch you in the middle of something important."

"Nothing is more important. They aren't going anywhere. I should probably get back tot he murder investigation. Give me call tonight, maybe?"

Kara agreed and reluctantly ended the transmission, took her pills and lay down. She opened her eyes a short time later to discover she had actually been asleep for five hours. Eliza was next to her, running her fingers through the blonde hair and Streaky was on the other side of Kara, claws clinging to Kara's silken hair the cat loved so much.

"Time to meet Dr. Thompkins." her mother whispered. "You need a moment to get ready? Do you want to get up? She can come in here."

The girl shook her head and stood up on shaky legs, something she was not used to while powered unless she was drunk.

"It will take a bit for your body to get used to the medication. I think this is more of a result of the sedative and benzo together. We will get it right, sweetie. Don't give up."

Kara smiled at the woman. "I won't. Promise. Give me ten minutes and I will be ready."

Once inside the bathroom, she was pleasantly surprised she did not need to vomit and her legs became more steady. Walking out, still not bothering to dress in anything other than pajamas, she followed Eliza to an office. Kara checked it and saw it was sound proof and no recording devices were inside.

"I made Clark swear he wouldn't listen. No one else will know anything going on in there. I promise, Kara. It is safe. Just be…honest."

Kara nodded her head, promising she would and wondering to herself if she really could. Honestly had not been a friend of hers in a long time.

She kept her head down until she closed the door. Looking up, she saw a woman in her fifties, perhaps early sixties, dressed casually in old blue jeans and a red flannel shirt.

"Kara Danvers, I am Leslie. I went over your history, while you were sleeping. Did you know that you snore? Sounded like a damn buzz saw was cutting through the base. Impressive work. So take a seat in this semi comfortable chair in front of me. I thought about a couch but didn't want to be completely cliche. So you are Supergirl, huh?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "I guess, I was, am…yeah, thats me."

"I thought you always did a number on your enemies. They got off easy considering what you have done to yourself. So stop me if I have anything wrong."

"Okay…"

"PTSD, severe anxiety, manic depression, extreme anger management issues, homicidal and suicidal impulses, two suicided attempts, self harming behavior, drug and alcohol abuse and…wow, yeah there are more but I am forgetting…oh yes, a fear of intimacy."

"I do not have a fear of intimacy!" Kara told her quickly.

"You do use sex to make yourself forget or cope and have no emotional attachment to your partners because that would be too much for you to handle. You do not like close bonds outside of your family and a few friends. Lets face it, Kara, outside of your parents and siblings the only friends you have are a guy who dresses like a bat for most of his life, a Czarnian bounty hunter and the head of the League of Assassins. You also have been having sexual relations with Dick Grayson for six years and have told him at every opportunity that you don't love him or want him around."

"I don't love him."

"I believe you. You used him and he let himself be used. It doesn't change the fact that you have a fear of intimacy not just in your sexual relations but in most relations. Am I wrong?"

The blonde looked to her right…

"Stop that. Your file says you look to the right if you want to avoid uncomfortable questions and look to the left if you are planning on denying or lying about something. I have no patience for lies, so I will make a deal with you. When we talk, I will look you in the eyes and you will look me in the eyes. That way if you lie to me you can at least be brave about it. Sounds good? Great, glad you agreed. So, everything else, you can admit you have a problems with?"

"Sure." Kara told her, indeed looking her in the eyes.

"Good. The fact that you are voluntarily staying in Bruce's hole in the ground is proof of your commitment, but this has to work because you want it to. You can't do it for them, not your family, not your friends and certainly not for the world. Are you committed for you?"

"Yes."

"Great, then lets start at the beginning. The next few days I want to hear everything about your life, the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. I will return the favor by not telling you anything about mine. It would only make you more depressed."

Kara took a deep breath.

"Okay. My cousin and I landed when I was thirteen on this…"

"Stop. I said the beginning. You and everyone assumes everything that led to now, started when you landed. Maybe you are right but I am not taking that for granted. Tell me everything from the beginning. I want to know your earliest memory and we can go from there."

Kara opened her mouth and then closed it.

"Thats…when I was a child, I thought my world was perfect. There is not point in rehashing it."

Leslie nodded.

"I can understand why you think that. But since I am the one with the PhD and MD why don't you humor me? Tell me everything, from the beginning.


	14. Chapter 14

**Do not own DC or CW characters.**

 **A/N Okay, Holiday break over. Hope you all and a good one.**

 **Chapter 14 Choosing a path**

"So let me get this straight." Leslie said, stopping Kara's recounting of her Kryptonian childhood. "Your best memory from your childhood involved you having a life threatening illness and an uncle who whispered horrible things into your ear while you were hallucinating. I got that about right?"

"Yes…but my Mother and Aunt…"

"Yeah, got that part. You had their attention. So lets go back to earlier. When did you begin to understand your father was emotionally distant from you?"

Kara sat up straighter, starting to get a bit annoyed.

No, she passed a bit annoyed an hour ago.

"He wasn't…I mean he was busy…I guess. He took a sculpture I made…"

"From hundreds you had made. Stop defending him. You know and I know he was emotionally distant. When did you figure this out? When did you begin to suspect?"

Kara took a deep breath and thought about things she had tried not to think about in a very long time. She had easily focused on things that had happened since she landed. The good and the bad, enough that she never really thought about her early years.

"What does Zor El have to do with anything?" she asked, deflecting the question. Jessica would usually call her for answering a question with a question as a form of deflection but the blonde was already trying to figure out how to handle this woman.

"Zor El, huh? I get that you call Eliza, Mom and Jeremiah, Dad because they have been the most nurturing parental influences you have ever had but you won't even call him father. You still call Alura mother when you talk about her, don't you? I suppose not since I doubt you talk about her. But the whole question with a question thing? I've known Bruce Wayne since he was a little boy. I didn't let him get away with any crap and you certainly don't have a chance. Answer the question."

Kara blinked and opened her mouth then closed it, not sure what to do with that. Finally she tried a new technique.

"You're rude. Could I get another therapist?"

"I'm rude? Is that what you think? No, you can't have another therapist. No one would take on this challenge. Bruce Wayne may be a therapists dream but you are their nightmare. I never got the opportunity to help him but you are stuck with me and I won't go away. I'm not hear to coddle you, Kara. We both want answers, to find out what is wrong with you and…"

"Yes." Kara interrupted. "You want to fix me."

Leslie shook her head and leaned back in her seat, stretching out her legs with a groan and placing her hands behind her head.

"We should probably get some things straight." the woman told her. "You seem to think you can be fixed, that something is broken. Maybe we can weld it back together? Thats not what we are doing here. These medicines they are designing are going to be a great help. They can help you sleep, stop the crippling depression that prevents you from getting out of bed in the morning, help regulate the severe mood swings. Maybe keep the depression from driving you to kill yourself in really bad moments. What they cannot do is solve the root of your problems. You have a million triggers and no drug is going to make those go away. They will probably never go away. The key is learning to live with them, accepting you aren't perfect and everything bad that happens isn't on you."

"Then why am I taking them if they can't do the most important thing I need?" Kara interrupted.

Leslie stared at her for a moment, making the blonde begin to squirm. She had a look that seemed to cut right through her. Dr. Thompkins did not like being interrupted.

"You done cutting in?"

"Yes." Kara mumbled.

"We are going to start at the beginning. We are going to go over every single aspect of your life. You really want to know why it is important? Fine. Zor El was the start of a lot of these problems in my opinion. At least he played a major part of it. I also suspect growing up there may have left you emotionally stunted. The feeling of being a failure started long before you arrived here and I think your parents were a big part of that."

Kara snorted and shook her head.

"So what? I wasn't hugged enough as a child?"

"Were you?" Thompkins asked. Kara looked away from her quickly, not wanting to think about that. Not hearing anything, she met the woman's eyes and realized she actually wanted an answer.

"We were not as demonstrative with gestures of affection as humans are."

"So, no, you weren't hugged enough as a child. Your father…"

"Rao, would you get off him? You make it seem like I have some sort of Daddy issues. I don't!"

It was the therapist's turn to snort.

"You were asleep for four hours while I had your case history. I read fast. You killed your first alien less than a month into your college career. Your Dad became upset that you let the alien hit you. Your answer to this was to go straight to the bathroom and attempt to burn your arm off. I believe you told Dr. Ryan at the time that you thought if he was worried about you then he wouldn't be mad at you, right?"

Hearing no response and taking that for confirmation, Leslie began flipping through the file in her lap.

"Oh yeah. Your father was angry with you for breaking into the DEO. You asked why you couldn't impress a father, shouting that you would study science like Alex if that is what it took. Your answer to the disagreement between the two of you was to fly to Metropolis, find a bar, get drunk and then kill a Kryptonian prison escapee, correct?"

"That is absolutely not true." Kara told her quickly.

Leslie raised an eyebrow, waiting for further elaboration.

Kara cleared her throat and looked at the ceiling.

"I…uh…I actually killed the Kryptonian and then I got drunk."

Leslie stared at her for a moment and didn't say a word until Kara finally looked her in the eyes again.

"Wow, you set me straight. Thanks, that clears up everything. The times you have hurt yourself the worst are after arguments with Jeremiah. Jeremiah was the one who finally called you out on your drinking right? He found a bottle in your fridge and asked you about it. He wasn't happy. You didn't react well to him not being happy, refusing to get out of bed for days until he came over and asked you to. I'm going to take a wild guess and say you began cutting yourself again not long afterward, or am I completely off base?"

Kara said nothing, eyes still locked on the woman and wondering how the hell she could know this. Kara never told Jessica, she never told Alex that she had started cutting herself again. The idea of anyone knowing she was cutting herself was terrifying to her. The last thing she needed was to be 22 and still followed into the bathroom and checked on at night to make sure she didn't have blood on her. She kept the blade hidden and hardly ever did it but she made sure she was completely alone when she did. Was this woman a mind reader? Could she, unlike J'onn, actually read Kara's mind?

"Yeah, thats what I thought. You may be the toughest bull I have ever rode, but you aren't the first. Zor El never showed you affection and you crave it from Jeremiah. Always have, always will. He is protective over you more than any of the other two, so he eats it up and subconsciously encourages it. Daddy issues? Yeah, you got them in spades. So tell me why. Why didn't Zor El have much to do with your upbringing?"

"Because I was stupid, okay?" Kara shouted, irritated to an extreme now.

For once the therapist looked surprised. Stupid? That was not the impression she had gotten from everything Jessica had said. Supposedly this girl was smart at physics and math, probably smarter than the best Earth had to offer.

"You were stupid? Help me understand because everything I have read tells me you are a genius."

Kara shook her head, annoyed at that assessment. There was a reason she did not like science, why she never tried to excel at biology, more than she had to. She absolutely hated astronomy for the sake of science. The girl loved star gazing with her Dad but that was more about the beauty of the universe and not the density of a star.

"I wasn't a genius, not by Kryptonian standards. The only reason I am so smart on Earth is because my brain moves at a higher speed. I learn the same as other humans but at a faster rate. Something that would have taken me months to learn on Krypton, I can learn in days here, sometimes in an hour or less. I was designed to be a scientist or a judge. I should have drifted to one or the other as I grew older but I really never had a choice. Science wasn't…I wasn't good at it."

"Define good." Thompkins encouraged.

Kara took a deep breath and began talking about something she had never spoke of to anyone. One of her worst memories of her childhood.

"I was supposed to be the next great scientist in our house. Yes our house needed lawyers but I was not the only child in our house to be designed as a lawyer and scientist. Some were bred strictly to be a lawyer. I was supposed to excel at both but my primary purpose was to step into the two brother's role as they aged and died. It didn't work though. Something was wrong with me."

Leslie shook her head, pleasantly surprised at her opening up but deciding she would be meeting with Alex and learning more about Kryptonian culture.

"Why did you think something was wrong with you?"

"We begin formal courses when we are three Earth years. As soon as we can speak we learn basics, basic math, Kryptonian history, proper spelling and pronunciation. Its more of an immersion process. When we are approximately five we are brought one by one to the educational council and tested on every aspect of our purpose, to make sure we were developing as expected. I answered all the questions about law correctly. The science was more difficult. There were only fifty questions but I answered 2 incorrectly. At that point, as was standard, I was placed in specialty classes, basically isolation with Kelex until I knew every aspect of the questions I got incorrect and became an expert. It didn't matter though. I hated those sessions. I despised them. I hardly saw my mother and never saw my father. It was just Kelex and I for over a month. I was not to be disturbed because that may interfere with my learning."

"No wonder you hate science. So I guess you had to be retested?"

Kara's cheeks turned red and Leslie knew she had hit on something.

"I got a different question wrong. Afterward I had a choice to go back to solitude or chose law. I focused on law. Law was easy to memorize. Science had so many intricacies. I didn't like it. I was supposed to but like I said, something was wrong with me. Maybe my DNA was not developed correctly. Maybe it was just me. Maybe I didn't try hard enough, more focused on art and trying to impress…I don't know. The council convened and it was decided that I could focus all my time on law as I requested. Zor El never said anything, even smiled, but I knew he was disappointed. I could tell he thought I took the easy way out. I didn't see him often after that. I studied with Kelex and my mother would visit often and always kiss me at night. When I was pulled out of second form law and told I would be Clark's…nanny I guess you could call it, I thought I had failed again, something had happened, one of my assignments was not correct. I didn't know why but I knew I screwed up at something."

Kara was lost at the moment, reliving memories she had avoided for a long time, the memory of never feeling good enough.

"Father was always busy. I thought after I landed that he was perhaps trying to save the planet. Then I learned the planet was doomed anyway. I accessed some files from the Fortress, project files he had worked on with other houses, military houses. I didn't understand at first but it became obvious. They were developing super soldiers, monsters really, to assist General Zod. I think the real reason was they were to be our army, the guards who protected the new Kryptonian race that would come from Clark, against humans. They were deemed too dangerous and unstable to exist and were destroyed though. I hope they was the kind of legacy my house left."

Kara finished talking in barely a whisper. Leslie watched her closely and wondered if the girl realized what she was saying. For the first time, it appeared Kara was lost in the past and judging by the sad look on her face it was not a pleasant past. The blonde finally shook her head.

"Mom and Dad love…I mean loved my art. Dad kept it all, even the ones I hated, he still has them. But I haven't painted or drawn in a long time. I just haven't felt like it. The first Christmas gift I got here was an easel, canvas and paints.I felt so happy. I used to love to paint. I could make the world whatever I wanted, capture the beauty and ignore the ugliness. I can't…I can't ignore the ugliness anymore."

Leslie nodded her head in understanding. It was a common symptom of depression to lose interest in hobbies a person loved. The woman cleared her throat to bring Kara out of the past and back to the present.

"Good. If you can be that honest in our following sessions, we are going to make progress. You are lucky, you know? You were given a choice whether you wanted to be here or not. You were given a chance to leave and made the decision to stay yourself. That helps."

Kara laughed a bit but Leslie could tell she found none of it humorous.

"I was drugged and dragged here, kept under red lights for days…"

"And given the choice to leave once you dried out. Trust me, if you were human and one of my patients I would have kept you here. You wouldn't have been given a choice. Humans who are deemed a danger to themselves and others are kept in mental health facilities until they are safe to be released into society. You should have been hospitalized many times in your life. The first time would be after you tried to rip your arm open when you turned 14. Wait, I forgot about you breaking your own fingers. You would have been medicated, perhaps right after you began having panic attacks but definitely after you almost killed Henshaw. You have had too many years without medication. Ryan did the best she could but…yeah."

Kara nodded her head, expecting as much. She had told Eliza two weeks after her first suicide attempt that she understood why Eliza did not trust her around Clark alone. She knew she would have been in a hospital if she had been human.

"If I had been born human, to Mom and Dad, I wouldn't have the problems I have." Kara countered.

"Maybe, maybe not. You think all depression is a result of bad things happening to people? Sometimes. Sometimes its a combination of things. Its a disease, like alcoholism and addiction. You don't have to be traumatized as a child to be affected. It can be a lot of things, like low self esteem which you are the definition of, sensitivity to critiscm, nothing needs to be said there and traumatic events in the past or , you chose to stay here. You made a good decision and you have been open with me. Keep it up and we may get somewhere."

Leslie stood up and stretched her arms out.

"I will see you in…four days. I believe you are going to meet with a substance abuse specialist who will work with you on …I could give you a fancy term but he is going to help you deal with the strong cravings you are going to have for the rest of your life for alcohol and whatever it was you were snorting. The next day ,unless the drugs are making you loopy, you will meet with someone about dealing with PTSD. These people are part of my team and you will be honest with them or I will know. After that you can have a day off before you meet with me again."

Kara was surprised. She expected to meet with the woman everyday. After her last enforced stay at the DEO and with her parents, following her last almost successful suicide attempt, she saw Jessica everyday.

"So… where are you going to be?"

"You don't need to see me everyday. When you do see me we are going to dig deep. Its going to be tough. I don't want break you and doing this over and over everyday is going to break you. No matter how upset Bruce is about it, I will be leaving in the dark and flying back to Gotham. I have other patients who need me. If something happens I can be here in two hours. Your other two counselors will be here as well as Shay. Jessica is your friend now. Do not talk to her about what goes on in therapy."

This was a surprise. The girl knew Jess said she wouldn't be involved in her treatment but assumed she could at least talk to her about some of this. Jess was her friend. Despite the rocky relationship the two had over the years, Jess was a constant in Kara's life.

"Why not?" Kara settled for.

Leslie grinned a bit. She may not be a telepath but she had dealt with many patients over the years. She knew the games they played and one thing she could tell from Jessica's information was that Kara was a sweet, loving person who was also a master manipulator and liar. She would say or do anything to be loved. She tried to be whatever it took to be the person she believed her loved ones wanted her to be or at least make them think she was.

"Because I am not her and she is not me. You won't play that game. I don't ever want to hear that Jess didn't do it this way or complaining to her about my methods. I am your therapist now. Jessica Ryan was placed in a bad position. She wasn't a therapist but she became one. Instead of gaining experience by dealing with a multitude of clients across all walks of life she had four patients, four members of the same family. She did a decent job considering, but the circumstances never allowed her to be successful. Its no ones fault. She has lost perspective though. It is impossible to only focus on one family for over ten years and remain clinically neutral. She is your friend. Alex and Clark are your siblings and your parents are your parents. I am your therapist. Now you are due some medication and you need to begin eating again."

Kara shook her head.

"Food makes me want to vomit."

"Then vomit and eat some more. They will work on the drugs. Shay knows what she is doing. This Snow seems bright. Get out of here and do what the doctors tell you to do."

Leslie stood up and left the room, leaving Kara sitting alone, wondering what the hell just happened.

 **Central City**

Barry sat on his couch, sharing a bowl of popcorn with Iris, avoiding every one of her questions while a movie he was paying no attention to played on front of them.

"So the last date with Kara went well then?" Iris tried once more. Barry had told Joe and Iris that he had met with Kara which wasn't a lie. He neglected to say he was meeting her outside her underground rehab facility. What was going on with Kara was no one's business.

"Yeah, it was great. How many times are you going to ask the same question?"

"Until I get details." Iris told him. "I tell you all about my dates."

"Yeah, and I still don't want to hear about them."

"Sorry, grumpy. I will sit here and not say a word." Iris promised.

Her promise was broken less than five minutes later.

"You going to see her this weekend? Have the two of you raced?"

Barry shook his head. "No we haven't raced. I'm not sure if I will see her this weekend. She kind of stays busy protecting the entire world, you know?"

"Yeah but Batman or her sister are with her sometimes. If she can work with Batman, she can work with you, right? You have superpowers. What does he have that you don't?"

Barry thought of his last conversation with Clark. What did he have? Billions of dollars, physical fitness that didn't come from a lightning bolt, weapons, intelligence and fighting skills and a tactical mind that likely surpassed Oliver's. Barry had no doubt that when the man was in S.T.A.R. he had a plan to neutralize him that didn't include Supergirl. He knew Batman didn't want Kara involved because of her anger and the fact that she had probably been drinking that night. So what had been his plan?

Batman also had Kara. Barry knew Clark was screwing with him, as he found the little boy loved to do, but there was a kernel of truth. Bruce Wayne stayed with Kara, bought her what she needed, what she wanted and obviously placed her wellbeing as more important than the safety of Gotham City since he wasn't there. In his last text message conversation with Alex, he asked how they got her to the facility in the first place.

Batman drugged her.

And he was still alive while Kara had her powers.

The two obviously had a bond. While Barry had been watching her from afar for six years, the handsome billionaire had been at her side, not just in Gotham. The three, four sometimes if Nightwing tagged along, had been seen fighting metas and aliens in Africa and Europe as well.

"Nothing I guess. We just haven't had the opportunity. She can handle things herself and so can I. This idea of team ups is great for the newspapers and social media but it isn't a normal thing. We prefer to take…"

"But you and Oliver worked together before." Iris interrupted. "If you are seen with her the two of you…"

Iris stopped talking thankfully when Barry's phone rang. The man was grateful for the interruption and almost excited when he saw it was an unknown number. It could be Kara.

Or it could be her little brother, bored and wanting to play Destiny or Call of Duty or some other game. Maybe he had some more Batman fan boy stories to tell.

"Clark?" he answered.

"Do I look like Clark?" an unfamiliar voice asked him. "This is Ty Gavin…damn it!"

Barry heard explosions in the background.

"Barry, you still there?"

"Yeah…"

"This is Ty Gavin. I let you borrow my Corvette to take Kara out, remember? Time for me to call in that favor. We are kind of fighting a damn war right now in Missouri. Since Alex is busy taking care of Kara whose life of sin done caught up with her and our green friend is pretending to be Kara in Metropolis right now, we could use a hand. I'm having coordinates sent to you. Once you are in your suit a guy named Winn is going to cut into your feed and lead you here. Anytime now would be great."

Ty hung up the phone, or com, or whatever it was. Whatever they were involved in, sounded serious.

"I have to go."

Before Iris could say a word, Barry was gone in a streak of red, moving towards the West. True to Ty's word, his feed was cut into by a guy named Winn.

"Yeah, keep on that heading…wow, you are really fast. So do you work with the DEO often? I knew about…but didn't know you were part of the crew." the man asked.

Barry wondered why he didn't say Supergirl. He had no idea and neither did Winn that J'onn placed a mental block on every DEO employee that literally prevented them from speaking about Supergirl or the Danvers as far as their relation to the DEO or each other. outside of the building.

"I'm not part of the crew. How far away am I?"

"Five minutes at present speed. Go around the South. You are going to enter the Ozark Mountain range and have to do some climbing. DEO agents have them surrounded but it is a fight so watch out for space lasers and stuff."

Space lasers? This guy obviously wasn't an expert in technical jargon.

"What are they facing?"

"Better if you see it for yourself. Turn right, 48 degrees and over the mountain in front of you. Once you reach the bottom you will find Agent Gavin. Agent Connolly is in charge but Gavin will tell you what he needs. He is in a snipers perch, higher than the rest of the team."

Barry did as instructed. Once he reached the top, the man stopped, amazed by what he saw below. The entire valley was lit up with …space lasers, on both sides. Of course considering Alex's weapons, it made sense that the DEO would have confiscated alien weapons. Fire was coming from the some creatures around the vehicle, a space ship he guessed, in the middle of the action. The DEO had whatever creatures those were surrounded but they were tough and covered by their ship and strong boulders surrounding them.

Shaking himself out of the awe he was feeling at seeing an actual space battle, the Flash moved quickly. He almost missed Gavin, covered in black and firing from a height above the others. Only the flash of his rifle alerted Barry to his presence. It appeared he was using normal bullets, probably to protect his cover.

"Hey…uh…hows it going?"

The man in black pulled off his mask and smiled.

"Barry Allen. Damn good to see you, man. These damn guys are loaded. We have them pinned down but they are a couple minutes away from getting in their ship and Han Soloing out of here at light speed. Take this bag next to me. Inside are a bunch of tiny bombs with putty on them. We need you to run down there, stick one to each of those things and about ten inside the ship. Once they are in place, let us know and we will blow the damn things remotely. Get clear cause it is going to be a gooey mess."

Barry stood still, trying to understand what he just said.

But it was really simple, wasn't it? Ty Gavin wanted him to plant bombs on the enemy, bombs they intended to detonate.

"I…I thought you guys arrested them or something?"

Ty remained calm, not showing a hint of the annoyance Barry suspected he was feeling.

"Move."

"Move?" the Flash asked. Instead of explaining Ty tackled him, Barry too shocked to stop him. A split second after the hit the ground a bolt of energy flew over the place he had just been. Ty looked at him, on top of the man.

"How come I never get to do this to any hot women? Stay down and crawl back to my rock with me. I had a new perch but your red suit is noticeable. It won't take those guys long to see you and fire if you are standing in the open not moving."

The two scurried over to the boulder Ty had been on. The man took his gun and fired. Barry watched the bullet in slow motion and saw it enter the head of an alien, killing the were at least twenty more on the ground and who knew how many still in the ship.

"What are they?"

"Governments been calling them Dominators since the 40s. They aren't that tough physically, no special powers other than slightly enhanced strength and being obnoxiously tall, but they are good shots, heavily weaponized and their ship's shields are impenetrable from above. Only way to take it out is from the inside. We can't arrest them, because they would die first and take others with them, namely my crew. If we let them retreat, that scout ship is going back to their planet and let their leadership know we are weak, ripe for invasion and that Supergirl didn't become involved. They have to die. If you can't do it I understand. We will figure something else out."

The Flash thought for a moment, wondering if he could do this. Yes, they were aliens but…so was Kara. They were living creatures…

"Kind of need an answer, Barry."

"Give me the bag." he decided.

Taking the weapons he moved, the tall creatures seeming to stand still, telling the Flash they were no faster than humans. He didn't even have to rush by his standards, making sure the bombs were all attached to the creatures backs and then moved inside the ship. He planted at least twenty, ten around a glowing object he believed was the engine. Out of explosives, Barry ran back to Ty.

The whole act took less than five seconds, most of that time due to Barry thinking about where he would plant the explosives on the ship.

"O…okay. Can you set those bombs to stun or something? I only saw two in the ship and…"

Before he could give a scouting report, Ty told Connolly to go over the com and a massive explosion lit up the entire valley.

Barry looked at the remains. All the Dominators were in pieces, the ship nothing but flame and torn metal.

"Good job, Barry." Ty told him, patting him on the back.

Barry wasn't sure what to do, staring at the bottom of the valley and watching the DEO agents come out of cover and carefully approach the wreck.

At the bottom he recognized Connolly, sort of. He seemed light hearted, jovial at the dinner at his house, before Kara had a melt down that night. Now he looked grim and satisfied.

"Appreciate the assist, Flash. You saved a lot of agents today." Connolly told him when Barry reached the bottom.

Barry looked around again, seeing the destruction around him, the parts, no… pieces of bodies.

"Yeah, no problem." he muttered.

Connolly wasn't fooled. The mask may have covered his face but he recognized the eyes.

"Talk to Jessica about it when you see her Friday or call her sooner if you need to. What you did wasn't easy but thats what is involved in protecting this planet. Sometimes its you or them. Like I said, you saved a lot of lives tonight."

Barry nodded and backed up. He had seen enough. He took off, a lightning trail behind him. The Flash had a lot to think about tonight. It wouldn't be a problem because he doubted he would sleep at all.

The four members who remained, the four of the original five that protected Kara and Alex, trained them, turned them into weapons in their early teens, watched him go, making sure the lightning trail was gone before they spoke. Jack Webb gave out orders to the other agents to begin clean up and then shook his head.

"I could have taken this ship out with the antimatter grenade." Hawk reminded Connolly. "We have never had problems with these guys or their ships. We didn't have to do that."

Connolly shook his head. No, they didn't have to do that. He made the call. In the field he was in control. He ordered the DEO agents to herd the Dominators and keep them circled. He ordered Winn to jam any outgoing signals and screw with the ship's systems just enough to keep them from taking off.

He also made the call not to advance. This one was on him. Maybe it was right, maybe it was wrong. No, it was probably wrong but it didn't matter to him.

"You know why I had to do it. He wouldn't have killed Zoom and according to J'onn, if those Time Wraiths hadn't showed up, Kara would have probably had to handle the problem. He is going to have to make a decision at some point and he did tonight. Kara has a lot of enemies and if she gives up this Supergirl stuff, gives up her powers, those enemies aren't going to just let bygones be bygones. If he plans to be a part of her life he needs to protect her, be ready to do anything, even kill. If he can't do that, he needs to stay away from her. He made a choice tonight, and it was the right choice."

"I don't like it." Webb countered. "We may not have meant to, maybe we did, but you know we turned Kara and Alex into killers. At least we played a big part. We really have to do the same to this kid?"

Connolly shook his head. "Price of getting involved in this world, Jack. Kara and Alex understood that at a young age. They always knew they would have to kill to save the world. Kara always knew she would eventually have to kill Non and Astra and probably the rest of the Kryptonians. You know this. It isn't a game. He lost his father, he nearly lost Caitlin Snow and his foster father to Zoom. Despite all that he hesitated when he had a chance to kill that monster. We haven't protected Kara for years so she can die when she gives it all up and tries to be happy. If he can't do what is necessary, I would rather her wind up with Grayson. At least that kid will do what it takes to protect her. Barry did good tonight. I feel better."

"I still don't like it." Ty mumbled.

"Every one of you had a chance to tell me no." Connolly reminded them. "Right or wrong, I did it. We all bought into it. Its done now. What happens next is up to him. Besides, I'm the one who pushed the detonator. We all know Kara may come out of what is being done different. She could be weaker, slower, more vulnerable or she may not be able to do it at all. If he wants to protect innocents and one day protect her, he needs to learn how. Lets wrap this up. I get to go home and tell Jess what happened then spend a few nights at the DEO or with one of you guys. Assuming she doesn't shoot me of course."

 **The Block**

"So are you ready for this day to be over? Feeling sleepy? Is the sedative working?" Alex asked.

"Which one of the three should I answer first? Yes, I am, yes I am and apparently it is since I said yes to the second question."

Alex started at her for a moment, wet hair, cotton robe, freshly showered and grinning.

"Sometimes I wish I had never taught you sarcasm. Lets go to bed."

Kara shook her head.

"Not you. You can't sleep with me anymore, not while I have my powers. I know there are bruises all over you."

"I'll wrap pillows around myself." Alex argued.

"Please Alex? I would feel better if you slept in your own bed. Once I am cleared for red sunlight you can use me as your personal teddy bear but not until then. Besides Streaky has been missing my hair and needs some sleep as well."

Alex was a bit frustrated because Kara knew when she used that tone of voice Alex would always give. She was also worried because Alex knew if Kara had a nightmare, her older sister wouldn't be able to stick her finger into her ear. That was the only proven method, short of throwing a pitcher of water on her face, to wake her up.

"Fine, But I am staying with you until you fall asleep."

Figuring that was the as much as she was going to get, Kara agreed.

The two lay next to each other on their backs, neither closing their eyes, just staring at the ceiling. It was something they often did in stressful or contemplative times. Nothing would be said, no noise from a TV or stereo. Just the two, being content with each other. It lasted for ten minutes and Alex was quickly figuring out this was not going to help Kara sleep as it usually did.

"Why aren't you relaxed?" Alex in asked. "This is supposed to work."

Kara laughed softly.

"It worked sometimes when we were kids. Now though, I want a drink so bad I can't stand it. Even these medications…my new therapist is scary."

Alex was glad she hadn't been drinking, because the abrupt change in topic would have made her choke.

"Uh…okay…your new therapist makes you want to drink?"

"No, everything makes me want to drink. She is just…scary."

"What did she say that makes you scared?" Alex asked. Kara stayed in a low grade state of fear most of her life even when powered. Lex Luthor frightened her, A.R.G.U.S. frightened her. The blonde was not afraid for herself. She feared what would happen to her family if she were discovered and they went after them. Jeremiah and Eliza working at the DEO did not help. Kelex and their supercomputer Justin kept a close eye on all those Kara considered a threat but the fear was still there.

"She just…I think she can read my mind. I know J'onn can't but I think she can. Plus she is rude. And she wants to talk about Krypton before I showed up here. You know she thinks I have some sort of Daddy issues? Can you believe that?"

Hearing nothing but the increase in Alex's heartbeat, Kara turned her head, noting her sister was still staring at the ceiling.

"Alex? I asked if you can believe that?"

"I don't want to lie to you and if I tell you the truth that will make you angry. You should go to sleep…"

"Alex! Answer me! I know we are all close but its not like I seek his approval over everyone else. All I do is disappointment him. Mom too. I've given her nightmares."

The brunette too a deep breath and propped herself up on her elbows, finally looking at her little sister.

"You have Daddy issues." Alex told her bluntly. "Yeah, we are all close but when Mom or me are disappointed or upset with you, you can handle it. When Dad says anything negative you totally freak out. You always have. Everybody knows it. If you think he is mad at you, then you react badly. The only things you have kept doing that really upset him were drinking and Dick Grayson and you tried to hide both from him."

"Thats not true." Kara whispered.

"It is, Kara. We all know it. You know it. Dad says he wants you to go to college, you go. Dad says you should think about a job in the media, graphic arts or whatever and you ask Cat Grant for a job. Not a job involving art but enough that he thinks it is a stepping stone, enough to keep him happy for a while. He tells you not to wear a certain costume, you don't."

"Cat has more to do with that than anything. She is the one who is always telling me what looks okay for public perception and…"

"And you have worn the same costume for years. You wear the blue one when you are behind the scenes with the DEO or night missions with no media but if there is a chance he can see you, then you are in red and blue."

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "So I don't like for him to think I look like a super ho. Whats the big deal?"

"No big deal, I guess. I'm just saying that Mom and I both know that Dad babies you more than Clark and you are constantly seeking his approval above all others. It wasn't as bad after you started drinking heavily. You stopped trying to impress anyone. But growing up and before that, yeah, you…yeah. The two of you have always been…"

"She said me and you are co dependent and you are afraid to live a life without me."

Alex stopped speaking at that interruption. She watched Kara's face and saw the tick, the crinkle in her forehead the blonde desperately tried to control. But when Kara was sober it was impossible for her to do so.

"You are lying. Maybe you don't like her because she isn't afraid to say what everyone else has always been afraid to say. You hate Zor El, I know you do. I have shared a room and a life with you for eleven years but it doesn't take that level of knowing you, to understand how much you hated your childhood. You never talk about it. Your best memory was having a life threatening illness during which Non whispered violent things in your ear and you hallucinated all of them. That was your best memory because you had your mother and aunt's attention."

Kara lay very still, wondering if Alex had listened in to her session. But of course she hadn't. Alex would never do that. She just knew.

"Your other favorite memory was falling and hitting your head on a table because your mother and father paid attention to you and he finally took one of the sculptures you made for him. Your childhood sucked, Kara. It wasn't made any better when you got here and found out your mother lied about the destruction of your planet, your father and uncle were the reason why it blew up and your uncle told you that you were nothing better than a protector for the Codex. Krypton screwed you up before Hank Henshaw and Astra ever got the chance."

Kara took a deep breath and closed her eyes, hating how well Alex knew her at times. It was true though and she knew it.

"I need to go to the bathroom and then I am going to sleep. Get to your bed. You look like a walking bruise. Stop trying to hold me when I am asleep. I appreciate the gesture but it is going to make me feel worse if I keep hurting you."

Not hearing agreement or disagreement the girl rose and made her way to the small bathroom. She closed the door and looked at the mirror, doing her best to ignore the fact that Alex followed her and was right outside the door, no doubt making sure the door did not heat up.

And then she was there behind her. Kara saw her in the mirror and knew the woman really wasn't behind her. She knew this had to be a delusion, something caused by withdrawals that lingered or a medication she had taken. She was given a new type of medication today. That had to be what this was.

Until she felt Astra's warm hand on her shoulder.

"Murderer." the woman whispered in Kara's ear.

"You didn't give me a choice." the blonde whispered back. She heard Alex ask from somewhere who Kara was talking to but paid no mind. She was focused on Astra. The woman had a deep bruise circling her neck. It was ridiculous because Kara didn't strangle her. She snapped her neck. Yes, both their faces had been swollen from the fight but there shouldn't have been bruises on her throat. She wasn't real.

But she felt so real.

"Its too late. You should have ended this after Non. You should have ended yourself. You aren't stable. Look where you are. These humans who have taken you in, are in a hole in the ground, waiting for you to try to resemble something sane. They brought you out of a cave once and all you do is drag them back into the cave with you again and again."

"Shut up. You are dead. How many times will I have to kill you, for you to stay dead?" she asked, anger taking over despite knowing this woman was not real. She felt real, she smelt real but she was not there.

"How many times? How many times are you going to bring me back? I am always with you. I told you I loved you and you broke my neck. You never hesitated. Something was wrong with you on Krypton and something will always be wrong with you. You are a monster, the same as all of your family. The same as me. How many psychiatrists have they brought in to control you? They need you to save the world so they drug you, attempt to control you because they are afraid of you. They cannot kill you until you no longer have a use. That is the reason this place was built. You are just another tool in Batman's belt."

"That is not true."

Astra smiled and placed her other hand on Kara's shoulder, pulling the girl close to her. The girl could swear she felt her aunt's breath on her ear, she was so close.

"Worthless murderer. Hero? You aren't a hero. You aren't strong enough. Begging for approval from everyone. Do you think they approve of you now? End it Kara. Stop being a disappointment and join the rest of us, where you belong. Take your medicine, find a red light and end it. Perhaps you can leave? They cannot stop you. Freez…remember the warnings that slime told you? You can snort enough lines to destroy your heart. You just have to be fast. They can't track you. There are so many ways you can end it. All you have to do is have the courage to do what you know is right."

"No… you aren't…"

"I am!" her Aunt shouted and Kara felt her warm hands around her neck, squeezing. She felt her air being cut off. This was real! Somehow she had escaped death and wanted to pull Kara back with her.

"No!" the girl screamed and moved quickly, crashing through the door. She struggled on the floor, trying to get Astra off of her back. Her aunt had an arm around her throat. Astra was going to break her neck!

"Get off me!"

Alex picked herself from the floor, throwing the door off of her to see Kara rolling on the ground, clutching her throat with her own fingers. Before she could say anything multiple nurses were running into the room, her parents pushing through. One orderly tried to grab Kara's arm to pull it away from her throat. Kara twisted and the man was thrown into a wall.

"Stay away from her!" Alex shouted to prevent anyone else from getting hurt and rushed to her side. Kara was shaking, rolling all over the floor. Then the blonde stood up and ran, crashing through the television and the wall into the hallway. She stood and began swinging against an opponent no one could see.

Alex and her parents stood in the hall, tense, watching the blonde and keeping everyone else back. Kara had very real nightmares growing up but usually snapped out of them within a few minutes. They doubted this was a nightmare though.

"I need to sedate her." Caitlin shouted, running through with a pill bottle in hand. "Can someone calm her down enough so I can put a pill in her mouth? I can't pierce her skin and if we turn on red lights she could crash."

"Just clear the area! I can talk her back, I always do, I just need an opening." the older sister ordered.

Alex never got that opening, because a blur flew past her, right into Kara. Clark hit her in the chest, wrapping her arms tightly around her shoulders and placing his head on her chest.

" _Kara, stop! Its me! Kal El."_ the boy shouted in Kryptonese, his accent horrible but it would have to do. He may not be advanced in his lessons but he knew the basics and he instinctively knew what she need to hear.

Kara stopped struggling, her arms still tight, eyes closed and flexing. Clark was straining, barely hanging on and knew if Kara was in her right mind and trying, he would never be able to hold her. He felt as if he was being torn apart now but thankfully his arms were long enough to wrap her completely up.

"I need you to hold me. Hold me Kara, I'm scared. I still need you to protect me." the boy whispered.

Kara stopped fighting. The feel of Astra's hands on her replaced by small hands that she recognized as well has her own. She felt his hair on her cheek and recognized that voice.

"Clark?"

"Yeah, its me. Can you open your mouth? Please, for me? I want you to taste a cookie I made. Please?"

Kara nodded, her eyes opening and taking in the boy, his eyes wet, only inches from her.

"Open your mouth. Alex has the cookie, okay? Its Chocolate chip. Tell me if I did good."

Kara nodded and opened her mouth, unable to keep her eyes open. Alex rushed her and placed the pill in her mouth, followed by water from a bottle which the girl nearly spit up.

Clark and Alex continued to hold her, both whispering in her ear. She finally fell asleep. Jeremiah walked over and picked her up, walking her to his and Eliza's bedroom, considering her own wall was destroyed.

Eliza followed him, leaving Alex and Clark alone with Caitlin Snow.

"She had a strong hallucination. It could be a lingering result from withdrawals but judging by the severity of it, it most likely has to do with the antipsychotic we gave her an hour ago. I'll wake Shay. We are going to have to leave her unmedicated tomorrow so I can take a blood sample under red lights." Dr. Snow explained, hoping her voice didn't betray the fear she was feeling. Caitlin had seen Kara have seizures during detox but had never seen the blur and power of Supergirl fighting even an imaginary opponent up close.

Alex just nodded her head and motioned towards the unconscious orderly who had made the rookie mistake of grabbing Supergirl in the middle of an episode.

Left alone, Alex checked over Clark, noting the boy was covered in sweat but was not injured.

"You okay?" she asked the boy.

"I've been better. Kind of sore. I guess that medicine didn't work. You think she was fighting her aunt or her uncle?"

"It doesn't matter I suppose. How did you do that? You have never been strong enough to hold her down."

The little boy took a deep breath and stretched his arms over his head.

"I never had to before. I'll do whatever it takes. I'm not here just to loo good. Lets go check on her."

Alex watched her little brother walk off, obviously tired and worried maybe even scared. She had prepared herself, knew Kara could have reactions like this but had not been prepared for the reality of them. The woman wanted to kick herself for not rushing into the bathroom when she first heard Kara talking to herself but it most likely would have not made a difference.

Having nothing else to do, Alex stood up and followed Clark to Kara, telling herself over and over that they would get through this. They had too. Failure was not an option.

She also made up her mind that no matter what it took the two girls would leave crime fighting behind. If killing Supergirl to save Kara was what it took, Alex would make it happen, no matter what she had to do or say to make it so.

 **Central City**

Barry never had to wake up because he had not managed to sleep at all. The sounds of war and the destruction caused by the bombs he had planted kept running through his head, mixed with the reality that Kara saw such things and participated in them all the time.

How did she handle it?

Not very well considering where she was.

His phone buzzed and he checked it quickly. He hadn't heard from Clark last night or Alex in a couples days.

Instead of them he got a rather strange message from the last person he would expect.

/You want to know how to fight and beat the most dangerous creatures on this planet? You want to learn to do what is necessary to protect the innocent? You want to reach your full potential, make the decisions others can't or won't make? If you do, take the offer. Connolly./

Barry shook his head, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Did they need him to plant more bombs? Did they have more aliens they couldn't handle?

The Flash was not stupid by any means. The more he thought about it last night the more certain he became.

Those guys did not need him last night. It was a test. He had a feeling he passed but was it a test he wanted to pass? He hadn't given it much thought during the battle. He wasn't the one who pushed the detonator.

He was just the guy who planted the explosives.

He killed them all.

His fullest potential? Hadn't he reached it? He had gotten faster and faster to beat Zoom. How much more could he give? How fast could he really be?

How dangerous could he really be?

The Flash tried to text a response back but the message was undeliverable. He supposed Connolly was not one for long conversations over texts.

Once he reached the office he was greeted by Captain Singh, calling him to his office. Barry was a bit surprised to see Joe in the office waiting as well and not looking very happy.

"Have a seat, Allen." the Captain ordered.

Barry did as instructed, trying to figure out the worried look on Joe's face and guess the millions of reasons it could be there.

"They tell me you didn't apply. Is it true?"

To say he would be confused would be an understatement. Singh must have noticed the look and took it as truth.

"So you don't have any idea. Got a call from the FBI this morning. They are conducting training for CSI's into alien threats and techniques to determine the difference between metahumans and our visitors from the stars at crime scenes. Apparently they have been identifying CSIs from around the country and want you to take part in the training. It would mean being in National City for at least ten weeks. Its up to you. I personally think it would be a good opportunity for you. Joe thinks you won't go for it. Your choice Barry."

"Captain," Joe interrupted, "we need Barry here. He is our top CSI especially in cases involving metas."

"And he could be better." Singh countered. "Just because alien criminal activity is low in Central City doesn't mean it will stay that way. Any information we can learn about possible threats besides metas will be helpful. The Government never offers information on aliens. This is an opportunity that could improve the department and Allen. How the hell can you be against this Joe?"

Barry listened to the two going back and forth. He knew that wasn't the FBI that made an offer and it didn't involve being a CSI.

They wanted to train him. They had trained Alex and Kara and they wanted to train him.

Why now?

It was obvious though. Kara was out of action and it could be permanent. The world needed heroes strong enough to fight the threats it faced, threats that only Kara has really been able to handle. They wanted him to be that guy.

And they also wanted to make sure he would do what was necessary to protect her if anyone came for her, if she was vulnerable.

There really wasn't a choice. The world needed him, not just Central City. One day, maybe if things worked out, Kara might need him too.

"I'll do it." Barry said, interrupting the argument Singh and Joe were having. Singh looked happy, Joe looked upset. Neither's opinion really mattered. It was his decision.

"Go home and pack your bags." Singh told him. "Your flight leaves in three hours. Go show those FBI guys how we do it in Central City."


	15. Chapter 15

**Do not own CW or DC characters**

 **Happy new year everyone! Thank you for the kind words. They really inspire me to write on.**

 **Chapter 15 Old Secrets and Decisions**

 **18 Months ago**

Dante had been through hell the past two months. At times, moments seemed too fast to understand what was happening. At others, more recently, days drifted by as if they would never end.

It started with a night shift.

He and Ty were scheduled to be agents in charge that evening, in the field at least. It seemed J'onn never left and not for the first time he wondered if the Martian actually could sleep. Trying to get some sleep himself, he managed to drift off about nine thirty AM.

At 9:45 AM he received an emergency call, the tone reserved for DEO imminent attacks, meaning he had to answer. This tone was only used in the worst case scenarios. Connolly told him that Eliza was in Kara's apartment, screaming, frantic and needing help. He couldn't understand exactly what she was saying but it was obviously bad. The man was on his way but Dante needed to move now.

He had bypassed the elevator, taking the stairs to the floor above. The door was unlocked but he didn't realize this and kicked it in regardless.

Connolly had not been lying. Eliza was screaming, wailing even. She sounded as if she were dying.

Rushing to the bathroom, gun in hand, it took all of his years of training not to begin screaming as well.

Kara lay on the floor on her back in the slightly darkened room, a puddle of blood under her and on the sides of her body, Eliza covered in blood and pressing bright red drenched towels to Kara's wrists. Dante forced himself to stay calm, assessing the scene like he would any battlefield, looking for a potential enemy who could have done this.

In his assessment, he noted that the light that was present in the room was from the bedroom. There was shattered glass on the bathroom floor.

That the broken glass had been a red sun bulb became clear immediately. There was no enemy. Kara had done this to herself.

"Keep pressure on her. I'm going to carry her to the window. She needs as much sunlight as possible."

The man scooped her up, a shaking Eliza following while trying to hold blood soaked towels on Kara's wrists.

A DEO medical transport arrived, Connolly and two medics assisting and took her to the DEO quickly, Eliza still not calm in the back, Dante trying to comfort her and clean the blood off her face with his own bloody hands.

When they arrived, Hamilton told the family that her blood pressure was so low it was a miracle she was alive. Kara was given blood transfusions of her own stored blood kept in a hidden safe in Jeremiah's lab. She was placed in a solar bed, turned to its highest setting, a breathing tube put in place and that was it.

Nothing else could be done. It was up to whatever higher power existed to decide if Kara Danvers would follow her people into Rao's light or stay with her family.

The fast paced fury of the last hour gave way to time grinding to a halt, nothing to do but wait until Kara decided whether she would live or die.

They all figured out that Kara had lied about the apartment fire the night before the suicide attempt. Having a close up view of a repeat of what she considered the biggest failure of her life pushed her over the edge.

Kara woke up after seven days, the breathing tube having been pulled out two days before when it was decided she would pull through.

The girl didn't speak for two weeks, practically catatonic. Eventually she spoke to Alex, then Jessica. She had been too ashamed to speak to her parents…or him.

Once she had finally been released from her parents house, determined to be no longer suicidal according to Ryan, he had hoped to speak to her. The man approached her apartment, the door opening, giving him hope that Alex may be leaving and he could speak to Kara alone. Instead he ran into Dick Grayson walking out. The door closed behind him and the two men stared at each other in the hall.

"So…Dante…how are you doing?"

Dante stood rigid, wishing he had a knife in his hand.

"We can talk, you know? She has a red bracelet on. Or at least she had one. I doubt she can hear us if you have something you need to say."

The man shook his head and found his center, calming himself before he completely lost it.

"She is not supposed to have any red sunlight devices on her." he settled for.

Grayson shrugged his shoulders, not seeing the big deal. If she was still suicidal she never would have been released from the house arrest Jeremiah and Eliza placed her in.

"You know Kara. She tends to find a way to get what she wants."

The former Seal stepped very close to the vigilante. "She hasn't been home a week and you are already here? Couldn't wait another day, huh? She tried to kill herself two months ago and I guess you think you are what she needs now. Or is it that she is finally available to give you what you need?"

Dick Grayson moved to step around the man but Dante placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"Stay the hell away from her or I will kill you. Your daddy in a bat costume won't be able to save you."

Grayson shoved the hand off of him.

"Maybe you should mind your own damn business. You may have been with her since she was 13 but I think I know her better than you now. I know things about her you will never know. Why don't you think about staying away from her? You have supposedly been her guide since she was a young girl and she still tried to kill herself. Good job."

Dick Grayson left, leaving Dante shaking in anger, fists clenched and seriously considering shooting the man in the head from his apartment window as he drove off.

Instead he left from Kara's door and made the trip to the beach. Instead of seeing Connolly he walked next door into the Danvers residence. Looking back, it may not have been the best or even a good choice but it was either involve Jeremiah or kill Dick Grayson and the man had no idea what Kara's response would be to that.

So it was, two nights later, coming in from work, he found his door unlocked. Pulling his firearm, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

He dropped his gun when he saw Kara with her back to him, staring out the window at the city, a glowing red crystal bracelet on her left wrist and a drink in her right hand.

Dante also noted that she had a very short, nearly see through white negligee on. The girl turned towards him and he could tell she was drunk by her eyes.

"I was wondering when you would make it home, dear." Kara told him quietly, smiling a bit.

Every warning bell was going off in his mind. He remembered when Kara was 17, telling him that she loved him, wanting to get married, be bonded, trying to explain that they were the only ones who could understand each other.

"Kara…you aren't supposed to have any red sunlight crystals,"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders and stepped towards him unsteadily.

"Yeah, here is the thing. You guys told me when I landed that I could be anything I wanted to be, do what I wanted to do. So this is me doing what I want to do. Or did you all mean I could do what you wanted me to do?"

"You're drunk." he told her, avoiding that question and the argument that would come from it.

The blonde simply shrugged her shoulders, took a drink and sat the glass on the end table.

"Don't worry, its just good old fashioned human bourbon. I take my bracelet off and I am as steady as a rock. The thing is, I don't want to be steady right now. You can come closer. I promise the smell of alien alcohol won't kill you."

Dante stepped around her and moved to the bathroom, coming out quickly with a large cotton robe, tossing it to her.

"Maybe you haven't noticed in your inebriated state, but you forgot to put clothes on. Put on the robe, take off that damn bracelet before I take it off and tell me what the hell is going on with you."

Kara laughed softly and threw the robe on the couch.

"If you are going to take something off, the bracelet shouldn't be the first thing. You are going to want it on for what I have…"

"Kara! What the hell has gotten into you?"

Dante kept his distance, standing on one side of the room, the couch between them.

The blonde shrugged her shoulders and moved around the couch slowly. He wasn't going to run from her in his own place and Kara took that as an invitation to enter his personal space.

She placed a finger on his chest, shakily running it down.

"You had a talk with my Daddy. A talk about Dick Grayson? He was very nice about it, because he is afraid I will try and off myself again but the point is, Daddy doesn't want me around Nightwing anymore. Seems to think he is taking advantage of me. Thats what you told Daddy, right?"

The man looked at the floor before meeting Kara's eyes. He suspected she would be angry. What he saw wasn't anger though.

"He is using you."

"I'm using him. He is a toy I like. I never got any toys when I was on Krypton and I am having fun with this one. So I can't get laid unless he meets your approval, is that it? Or are you jealous? All you had to do was say the word. Its all you ever had to do."

Dante stepped around her again, walking across the room, a couch in between them again. Kara was obviously drunk, drunker than he had thought and it was not a good time for this conversation. Somehow he needed to figure out how to get a robe on her and back to her apartment. Perhaps taking the bracelet off of her might do the trick. Of course he could be faced with a furious, fully powered Kryptonian instead of a depowered intoxicated girl.

"You are too special to have meaningless…with some pretty boy Batman wannabe. Why can't you try to find someone you love? You are disrespecting yourself by doing what you are doing. You deserve better."

"Why the hell do you get to decide what I deserve? I told you I loved you and you told me no! You want me to be with someone I love? Fine Dante! Stop playing games and be with me! Don't run to my Dad just because you are jealous of what you didn't have the guts to take for yourself!"

"Kara, I don't love you like that. We have had this conversation before."

"Then don't expect me to be with someone I love. You can take me now, or leave me the hell alone. Unless you want to claim me I will go to the street and grab the first guy I see and it is none of your business!"

Kara walked to the end table and finished her drink, then moved past Dante to the kitchen, grabbing the half empty bottle of bourbon from the bar and taking a drink straight from it.

"You are the only one I love. I'm not capable of loving anyone else. What is it going to be, Dante? Do you want me or not?"

The man was at a loss. In the past, the last time they had this discussion he had been caught completely off guard. He had always seen her as a little sister, the girl he watched grow into a young woman and a warrior. He had not been prepared for her declaration but they had handled it later on. He thought they had come to an understanding. That was apparently not the case.

"I am not the only one you have ever loved, Kara. Where is the necklace you always have on?" he asked, referring to the golden lightning bolt she always wore around her neck.

The girl took another drink and shook her head.

"I always take it off before I…I can respect him that much at least."

"You could love him. You could have Barry Allen in your life and you could love him. He has to know you are…Supergirl. He has never said a word. You could have him in your life…"

"So he can be killed?! He has beautiful eyes and great hair and the last I checked he wasn't exactly equipped to take on aliens and hit men who might go after him to get to me. He isn't Alex and he isn't you! He is innocent! He doesn't deserve to be brought into the hell that is this life! Its you or no one. If you can't do it then, leave me the hell alone and stop bringing my Dad into this every time I want to use Dick Grayson! What is it going to be? I'm here. Do you not think I am beautiful enough? Is it because I'm an alien or not some old girlfriend who told you to get lost? I'm not that kid in a cave anymore, Dante! Right now, yes or no? Are we doing this?"

"No we are not!" the man shouted, unable to keep his cool any longer. "I will always be by your side but I will not be some tool for you to hurt yourself more! That is not what we are and just because you think you need me in that way does not mean you are going to get what you want."

Kara threw the bottle at him. He ducked just in time, letting it strike the wall and shatter.

Then she ripped off her bracelet and threw it to the floor. From her eyes it was apparent that she was no longer intoxicated.

"Great." the girl mumbled, grabbing the robe form the couch and putting it on. She moved quickly in front of Dante, inches from him.

"I took that bracelet off so there would be no mistaking this or blaming the alcohol. I want you gone. Gone from this apartment building, gone from my life. I am sick of you. You don't love me? Fine, then stay the hell away from me. Don't see my parents to complain about how I live my life, don't ask Alex behind my back how I am doing, just go. I never want to see your face again. If you are at the DEO I will stay away."

The man was shocked at the conviction in her voice. They had arguments before but she had never sounded like this.

"Kara…"

"Leave Dante. Get out of my life. What I do, who I do is not your business. You had your chance, again! Believe me, I get it this time. Stay the hell out of my life and I will stay out of yours."

"You don't mean that."

But from her eyes, it was clear to him. She did mean it.

"Get out of this building, get out of National City and never try to contact me again."

Kara walked out of his life for all intents and purposes, slamming the door behind her.

The man sat on his couch, head in his hands, wondering why that had happened. It was obvious of course. He told Jeremiah to talk to Kara, get her to stay away from Dick Grayson. The boy was a tool she used and that brat gladly allowed it. He knew she wouldn't be happy about him interfering but he didn't think she would have this reaction.

Dante honestly had no idea what to do at this point. He had no doubt the girl was flying to her favorite bar right now and it wouldn't be regular bourbon she was partaking in. She may not have been deemed suicidal any longer but Dante worried, had worried for a while about the increase in her drinking. Perhaps it was his imagination. He hoped that she was on her way to the Fortress for some…solitude he supposed.

The man turned out the lights and sat in the dark, trying to sort his thoughts. Had she meant what she said? In the past, he would have said no, but he also never would have guessed she would cut her own wrists.

Could being in her life be beneficial or would this always be between them, hurting her?

By the time the sun had risen, he had come to his decision. He would heed her wishes. Being here would only hurt her more.

By three that afternoon, Dante arranged for his bags to be picked up and walked out of Kara Danvers life.

 **Present Day, The Block**

Kara sat on her bed in her new room curled into Jeremiah, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her. It was one of her happy places. She really didn't give a damn if she had daddy issues.

"Why are we watching this series? It always depresses you. You trying to give the antidepressants a test drive?" her father asked, three episodes into the animated Clone Wars series.

"They do depress me, sort of. Knowing how it turns out, Anakin and Padme and…but I love Snips."

Jeremiah chuckled. "Too bad she died in Rebels."

Kara clenched her jaw and squinted her eyes playfully towards the man.

"There is no evidence she died in that temple. Vader survived so she could have as well. She is assumed alive until I see an animated body. There will be no further discussion about that."

The man shook his head but didn't argue, just happy that she was happy. Last night had been slightly terrifying. He admitted to Eliza that his first thought had been Kara losing her temper and rampaging, or worse, a repeat of withdrawals. As bad as it was to think, the man was relieved it was a hallucination she had no control over. He was also relieved that she remembered the event in the morning and admitted what she saw instead of keeping it to herself. Her vision of Astra encouraging her to kill herself had the doctors reevaluating the antipsychotic even more closely.

Despite that, Kara seemed to be in a good mood this morning. She wouldn't be medicated today because Veritas and Snow needed samples of her blood, but he hoped by tonight she would be able to have a sedative and anti depressant. The antipsychotics were on hold.

"You hungry?" he asked, hoping she was. She really needed to eat more, especially with all these meds going through her.

"I will eat after my suntanning session. How much longer am I going to have to do that? Believe it or not, lying under a big sunlamp for hours, doing nothing, can be incredibly boring."

Jeremiah kissed the top of her head.

"I think they are going to do another scan today. As soon as the damage to your liver is completely gone and you decide to lay still for couple days with an EKG so we can check your heart then you will be done. The last scan of your liver looked good."

Kara took a deep breath and tried to focus on the television, not wanting to think about what she had done to herself and worse, the effect it had on her loved ones.

"I haven't seen Bruce in a couple days. He has been spending a lot of time in the basement. You two are playing nice, right?"

Jeremiah scowled lightly but let it go. He knew Bruce Wayne and his two daughters were close and came to peace with it long ago. The important thing was Wayne cared about them, as evidenced by this facility. He also could no longer disapprove of Bruce's methods without being a hypocrite. He always defended Kara's choices in dealing with enemies and Alex was known to cause the occasional alien fatality. The man recognized he could not have a problem with Wayne's tactics and defend Kara beating aliens to death. The recent knowledge that his daughter was a member of the League of Assassins and had killed the former head and was now best friends with the current head, made it difficult to look down on Batman losing his cool and branding people who really upset him.

Compared to Lobo, Batman was a saint.

"Yeah, we have been playing nice. He has…I don't have a problem with him, Kara. Not anymore, probably not in a while. The man has done a lot for all of us. I'm sure he is just busy keeping an eye on the world. He refuses to leave and since this is his place, we can't exactly kick him out."

Kara saw an opening and took it.

"Anything interesting going on in the world?" she asked, trying to sound only casually interested.

Jeremiah nearly answered then paused, looking at his innocent daughter who was staring at the Clone Wars.

"Nice try. You aren't supposed to ask about that stuff. If there is a problem other people can take care of it."

"Does that mean there is a problem?"

Jeremiah ruffled the girl's hair.

"Kara, don't. Focus on you. The world can take care of itself."

Kara realized her attempt was not getting her what she wanted. Instead she tried the honest approach.

"Is Barry okay? I thought maybe…maybe he would be back to see me. He talked about bringing this TV show for me to watch. Please tell me he isn't fighting some meta he can't handle."

The man took a deep breath, understanding her worry. The last thing he needed was her worried.

"Kara, I haven't heard anything. I assume he is fine and have no doubt if something was going on, Batman would be on his way. He knows Barry is your…friend and you care about him a lot. I am sure Barry knows you are going through different medications and doesn't want to just show up. I'm not even sure if he has a number to call, now that I think about it. I believe Alex has been using Kelex to keep him updated."

Kara silently agreed. It had been a rough few days and Barry did have his own life. He couldn't just run to Kentucky whenever she wanted.

Streaky jumped on the bed and curled into her lap, amusing Jeremiah.

"Do you have any idea how much these hospital employees hate a cat having free run of the place?"

Getting no answer and sensing Kara's good mood slipping he acted quickly.

"Why don't I see about getting a secure phone for both of you? That way you can talk whenever you want and not have to worry about going through Kelex? I'm sure Bruce has something that will work even underground."

"Really?" the girl asked excitedly.

"Yeah, really. Just promise me…"

"I won't ask about anything superhero related, I swear…I guess that really doesn't mean much, does it?"

He wrapped both arms around her.

"Kara, you are here, you are trying, you re going to beat this. I believe in you."

Kara recognized that wasn't exactly a vote of confidence.

"But you wouldn't believe me. Do you think you will ever trust me again?"

Jeremiah thought about if for a moment. Relaxing moments could turn into traps quickly when Kara was involved.

"Let me put it this way. Right now, this early, I am keeping a very close eye on you. If you tell me you aren't hurting yourself, I am going to check. For a while, I will be watching you closely to make sure you aren't drinking or…taking drugs. If you are sad I am going to watch you closely and I will be very nervous about there being any sharp objects around. But in regards to everything else, I do trust you. If you tell me you won't ask Barry about aliens or metahumans I believe you. Eventually we will all trust you again. Your mother may take the longest, she will hover, she will be watching you closely. She loves you so much and she almost…"

"It was bad, wasn't it?" Kara interrupted. "When she found me, it was bad. She never told me details but I know it must have been bad."

"It was her worst nightmare. She was more frightened than when you and Alex entered an alien spaceship and fought alien mercenaries. It was worse than when Astra broke into our house and threatened to kill Clark. I know she can seem a bit more …"

"She would wrap me in cushions and keep me in a cell if she could." Kara grumbled. She loved Eliza's protectiveness at times but after her suicide attempt, her mother became nearly obsessed with Kara's behavior. The blonde knew about the times Eliza sneaked over during the work day after Alex moved out and searched everywhere in the apartment, looking for blades, red sunlight devices and alcohol. Kara had figured out her patterns and hid her contraband effectively though.

"Can you blame her?"

"I guess not…"

Kara stopped talking, hearing a person above ground, walking towards the cabin. Alex was on ground level now. She was telling somebody that Kara had her powers and could likely hear everything.

Wanting to know who had come to see her, she looked up through the layers. Hoping it was Barry or Nyssa, she was shocked to see Dante above. He was whispering to Alex, nothing she could make out. She saw her sister hug the man and he began to walk away.

"Dad, would you please grab a com and tell Alex to …ask him if he wants to come down…no, I will go up."

Jeremiah was surprised. He suspected whoever him was, would be Barry Allen but there was a definite lack of excitement in her voice. Standing up to do as she requested, Kara stood also, going into her closet and changing into a pair of old jeans, slippers and a t shirt. Dante had seen her in worse.

Ten minutes later, the elevator in the cabin opened and Kara stepped out. Alex asked her if she wanted her to stay up top but Kara shook her head. She had to do this on her own and Alex understood. No one knew what happened that night, the night she told Dante to disappear. Alex didn't even know but she knew it was something bad for Dante to leave Kara.

Kara walked out of the cabin, enjoying for a second the feel of actual sunshine instead of the artificial light she felt all the time. Her brief joy was broken when she saw a face she was sure she would never see again.

Kara had thought often how she would feel if she ever saw him again. Relief, anger, joy, it could be any of those.

Instead she felt shame, a deep shame.

"Hi." she started, not sure what else to say.

Hey. You look like you've been dragged through hell."

Dante always was blunt with her.

"I haven't had my coffee this morning. Kind of had a psychotic episode last night, destroyed a wall, took out a nurse and needed my baby cousin to hold me down."

Dante nodded his head. 'So a typical Friday night?"

Kara couldn't help but grin, despite the embarrassment she was feeling.

"So…" she started, not sure where she was going with this.

"Yeah. I know you didn't want to see me ever again. I thought maybe you were under red light and wouldn't know I was here. I just wanted to talk to Alex, to make sure you were doing okay. I thought if I came in person…it would make me feel better. Stupid I guess, but I like to think I can pick up your moods."

Kara walked to the edge of the small clearing and sat on the ground. Dante joined her.

"How did you know where I was?"

"You think I don't keep tabs on you? Besides, Bruce told me. He didn't want me hunting him down I suppose, or Grayson. Grayson doesn't know anything by the way."

Kara was confused. Dante and Bruce had never been exactly friends or enemies. They hardly knew or spoke to each other. When Kara worked with Batman, the DEO was never involved and vice versa.

"You talked to Bruce?"

"Of course. I do work for him. He pays a lot better than the DEO."

To say she was surprised would be an understatement. She had always assumed Dante had gone back to Arizona when he left, try to win back his long lost ex girlfriend he had not seen in years. Apparently Bruce had his own secrets he kept from Kara.

"What do you do for Bruce?"

"I handle Metropolis. You have back up in National City and he helps you out in Gotham when you go there. But when you are in Metropolis with Alex on the other side of the country, he wanted you to have immediate back up. So mostly I train, sometimes I follow Lex Luthor's investigators, keep my ear to the ground around alien bars, running alien spies in and out to make sure no uprising against you is being planned. That sort of thing."

Kara didn't say anything for a moment, trying to digest that.

"After everything I said to you, everything I did, you were still watching out for me?"

"Always." the man said.

Kara did not know how to respond to that so she sat in silence until she could no longer hold back the tears.

The girl began sobbing, her head in her hands, not even noticing Dante putting his arm around her and holding her tight.

"Its okay." he whispered.

"No its not." she told him, trying to catch her breath. "I am so sorry. I acted like a…how can you forgive me? You can't,"

"I forgave you the moment you left. I have told you before, I will always be there, in the open or in the shadows. I don't break my promises, Kara. I thought it would hurt you more if I stayed in the open. I kept an eye on National City from Coast City and moved to Metropolis when Bruce found me and made an offer. I'm not going anywhere. I never have."

Kara wrapped her arms around the man and held him as tightly as was safe. Dante didn't grunt though he wanted to. It was worth it. He had missed her. The man remembered the times she had held him like this before. Her bright blue eyes and smile, the first time she was able to heat a pizza with her vision without burning it. It was the worst tasting pizza he had ever eaten but the look of joy on the young girl's face made it worth it. Seeing her and Alex in their prom dresses escorting each other of course, the first time she had made a sharp turn in the air without ramming and destroying a tree. Kara spent much of her life sad but he would always hold onto the joy and her extremely tight hugs were worth the temporary discomfort.

This was more a hug of desperation, her tears flowing once again and back shaking with sobs. He hoped and prayed that being here may be the turning point her, a path to possible lasting happiness.

It took her minutes to calm down and her face was as red as her cape but that was fine. She was smiling.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too, Kara. So…I see you still have your lightning bolt around your neck. A little bat told me Barry Allen is the Flash. Crazy world we live in. You two have seen each other?"

Kara nodded her head. "A few times before I got…taken to rehab. I told him everything about me. I was drunk…of course, and kind of laid it all out. I…don't know. He still came to see me, called me, even brought Clark here."

"Of course he did. The boy loved you from the moment he laid eyes on you. He kept the biggest secret in the world, your identity. He could have made a fortune off that information but the thought never crossed his mind. Fate is giving you a chance to do something you should have done a long time ago. No more excuses about him not being able to take care of himself. You can have it all, Kara. Don't screw it up, okay?"

Kara smiled, thinking about Barry and wondering if she really could have it all.

"Screwing up is kind of my specialty."

"I don't think the thousands of people you have helped would agree. Nobody is perfect. None of us. But being happy, really happy? You can have that. You didn't think you would ever control your heat vision, you didn't think you would ever be able to fly in anything other than a straight line. You didn't think you could stop Myriad. You have always been capable of more than you gave yourself credit before."

"Yeah, maybe. Dante…I screwed up. I screwed up big time. I … have some physical damage. Its getting better but…I wasn't just drinking. I was doing…other stuff. This stuff called…it gave me an edge when I was drunk and fighting. I…"

"Just say it, Kara."

"I was snorting it. I was also cutting myself, I mean, again. I uh…I kept letting Grayson in whenever he showed up. I should have told him to stop coming over but I never did. I mean I did but I would always let him back in. I used him. Every time I did I felt like trash, but I kept doing it. It was like I couldn't stop."

Dante nodded his head, looking up at the sky, his fears confirmed.

"Kara, I realize for someone who can fly this is hard to believe, but sometimes people fall. They may fall slowly or they might fall hard and fast but it happens. You were lucky that you had a parachute to slow the fall, your kept you from dying when you hit the ground. But even parachutes can only do so much. Eventually a person is going to land and land hard. Its going to hurt and you will wonder how in the hell a few minutes ago, you were so free, nothing but the wind, open space,the thrill of the act, but then reality sets back in. Your feet are on the ground now and you have to decide if you are going to keep fighting or curl up into a ball and hide. You jumped and landed in a war zone. I've done it myself more than a few times. The important thing is whether you are going to keep fighting. Are you?"

"I want to. I don't know if I will be the same after this.I don't know if I can keep being…her."

"Thats not the fighting I am talking about. Those are battles you fight and as intense as battles are, they always have to end. The war I am talking about is for your soul. Not for the human race, not for this planet but for you. You are going to have to prioritize what is more important to you. Is losing your soul, yourself, those around you watching you crumble, worth trying to save the world? All our battles have to end at some point, even yours, Kara. But it doesn't have to end in death."

Kara looked at him closely, realizing how much she had missed him. She drove him away, cut off another lifeline that was trying to keep her from drowning. Dante taught her more than how to fight. He made her think, about wars, about good and evil and about deciding for yourself, how far you were willing to go.

He was her best friend. She had a friend in the past, Lena Luthor before J'onn wiped her memory at Kara's request. But Dante was the one person outside her family that knew her better than she knew herself.

"I'm jut not sure I have it in me anymore. I don't know if I have had it in me for a while." she finally admitted. "I don't want to cause my family anymore pain. I really don't."

Dante stood up and offered her a hand to help her up, knowing full well she didn't need one, but doing it anyway.

"Then I guess you have your answer. You bring love to your family. You bring a role model to Clark and something that is even closer than sisterhood with Alex. You don't need to fly to be a hero or to be free. You can do that all on your own. I am going to go so you can go back downstairs and do what your doctors tell you."

"Will you be back?" she asked quickly.

"Always."

Kara stood still, watching him silently walk into the surrounding wild and seeming to disappear in it as always. Wiping her eyes and trying to shake the shame she still felt, she moved back downstairs to spend another day, learning how to fight.

 **National City, DEO Downtown headquarters**

Barry Allen had arrived the day before, checked into the hotel he was told he would be staying and this morning stood in front of the FBI Federal Office Building. It was an impressive building, and those passing by would not think much about it, just another skyscraper in Downtown National City.

Walking inside, it was obvious how different it actually was. There was a metal detector, he suspected of being an X ray as well. There were no men or women walking around the lobby in business clothes, hustling in and out as you would expect to see in a busy, giant Federal building. There were two guards at a desk by the metal detector, both dressed in black combat fatigues and only one elevator behind them.

Not knowing what else to do and beginning to be freaked about by the silence of the lobby and the echo of his footsteps, he approached the guards and placed his loose change and watch on the conveyor belt for X ray. Stepping through the walkthrough detector, he relaxed when the thing went off. He would really hate to dodge bullets on his first day.

"Hi, I'm…"

"Barry Allen. Director Webb and Agent Connolly are waiting for you on the tenth floor, operations level. Go the the elevator and place your palm on the pad next to it. Once inside look at the camera in the ceiling for visual identification. If the visual identification fails the elevator will fill with cyanide gas. Place your palm on the reader inside and then press the button for 10. Once you reach the floor an agent will escort you to Director Webb's office."

Not having much to say or focusing on anything past cyanide gas, he walked slowly to the door and followed directions, making sure to stare at the camera for at least a minute, wondering if he would have to phase out of the space that felt very confined at the moment.

Once he reached the top, he was greeted by a man he had only seen once with Clark, the night of the dinner party. Dan Hawk.

"Welcome to the DEO, Stick. Follow me and don't touch anything."

The Flash followed him into a large office. He walked out as soon as Barry was in. Jack Webb was at his desk, feet kicked up on it with his hands behind his head. Connolly stood in the corner, one hand holding a file. Barry took the seat in front of the desk.

"So you showed up. We knew you were coming but weren't sure if you would follow through with it." Webb told him.

"Uh…yeah. I guess I wanted to find out why you guys needed me to take out an alien force you were more than capable of taking care of."

It was Connolly who spoke up.

"Because I wanted to see if you could do it. I wanted to see if you could kill. We haven't really had time to get to know each other. This is Jack as you know, recently promoted to Director because he is better at paperwork and dealing with scum like politicians than I am. I'm Connolly as you are aware and I handle the engagements, contacts, training the agents so they don't get killed, those kind of things. I am also the guy who turned a skinny 14 year old girl named Alex Danvers into a living weapon. In the field what I say, goes. I've been fighting wars since I was 18 years old. You didn't come to find out why we wanted you to kill. You could have asked Jessica. You are here because you know you can be more, better, faster, deadlier. Take a look at these sheets."

Connolly tossed the file on the desk. Barry opened it up carefully and looked at the first list.

"Who are these people? Enemies?" he asked, seeing a list with 22 names.

"You have heard of the Joker? Those are the names of the people he killed before he was caught by Batman and sentenced to Arkham Asylum. Look at the next sheet."

Barry took it and saw a list of 24 names.

"Those are the people he killed after he escaped Arkham, before Batman caught him again. There is a sheet of ten names under that, people of all ages, all walks of life who died after his second escape, simply because he wasn't put down the first time he was caught. A rabid dog is put down once he is found because it will attack people until he dies. People like this are rabid dogs. Batman has a certain philosophy. That is his business. He does what the cops can't, namely catching these guys and trying to hold them but those tactics aren't always enough to save lives. Look at the next sheet."

The man picked up that one, noting the name at the top. Slade Wilson, Deathstroke.

"He killed 32 people in his vendetta against Oliver Queen. Oliver Queen let him live and he was place in an A.R.G.U.S. facility on the island your friend in green grew up on. The two names at the bottom are the two guards he killed during his escape. He planned to wait for a security team to arrive when the guards did not report in, kill them all and take the plane. Instead, Kara's tech that watches prisons and threats around the world, picked up his escape. Twenty minutes after he began to plan his trap for the security team, Kara landed and killed him. No hesitation. He had been warned by her in the past that if he tried to escape she would kill him and she always follows through on her promises. Guess what? Since she killed him, he hasn't killed anymore innocent people. See how that works?"

Barry closed the file, not wanting to look at the other names. He got the idea.

"So I should kill? Is that what you are saying?" he asked.

"I am saying you shouldn't be afraid of it." Connolly told him. "I am not suggesting you turn into a mass murderer. I am suggesting that if you truly want to protect this world, to use what you have been given, you need to get these unrealistic ideas out of your head and start facing the real world. What did you plan to do with Zoom? You had him beat and you hesitated. If your Speedforce ghost friends hadn't shown up to tear him apart, what would you have done? From what we understand, and we know more than you think, that monster came close to destroying billions of lives by merging alternate universes. He killed your father, he almost killed Caitlin Snow, he almost killed you. What were you planning on doing with him, Barry? Arresting him? How well do you think that would have worked? Do you really think he wouldn't have escaped? Would you want to explain to the wife or husband or mother or father of his next victim that you didn't think killing him was the right thing to do?"

"I…I have no idea. I…wasn't sure. I wanted to stop him but afterward…"

"You didn't have a clue." Webb finished for him. "If you want to play this game, that is not a mistake you can make. You go into a fight, you have a plan and you execute that me tell you a story about young Kara and Alex. They asked to start training when Alex was 14 and Kara was 13. They are both sweet kids and didn't have a violent bone in their body. At least until Hank Henshaw showed up on the doorstep. Something woke up in Kara, something dark and very dangerous. She never came back from that place, not completely. From that point on, the danger in their life became very real to Alex and Kara. They knew at that young age what it would take to make their world, their family safe. They trained obsessively."

"Yep." Connolly finished. "And when Astra showed up, Kara had known, known for years what she would have to do. She never wanted to do it, talked about talking her out of her path, maybe capturing her alive but she knew in her heart what would have to happen. When the time came, she snapped her aunt's neck and never hesitated. She then detonated a bomb to kill all but one of the remaining Kryptonians. Kara almost died herself. Alex had never been in a battle before but she shot a Kryptonian through the head on that beach.

Connolly looked closely at the man, going he could understand and would stay. If not he would be having a conversation about how badly he really wanted to protect the ones who came into his life, namely Kara. Seeing he had his complete attention the man carried on.

"We are saying if you want to do this, really protect this world, stop worrying about being the hero. You want to be a hero, do what Kara did. Play the game, kiss the babies, do all the good deeds you can in public, catch the bank robbers, put out the fires. But when it comes to war you need to decide if you are going to be a warrior or someone on the sidelines, watching the real heroes protect the innocent by any means necessary."

Barry shook his head, understanding his point but also remembering the things he had told Oliver about killing, not killing, being different.

It also did not escape his attention that Connolly said what Kara did, not what she does.

They don't think she will make it back, he realized.

"Bat…Batman…I get what you are saying about the Joker but he doesn't kill. He goes to extremes but…"

"He doesn't want to be like the person who killed his parents." Webb guessed. "Despite this he has killed aliens, not because he doesn't think they are less than humans. He would never think that after knowing Kara and J'onn. It was just an agreement he and Kara had. She didn't kill the threats he wanted taken in and he killed aliens she went against. Despite this, don't think he doesn't approve of Kara's methods deep down. Alex has killed aliens and though she has never had a need to kill humans, you can bet if she thought Lex Luthor was a serious threat to Kara, Clark or her parents, she would blow his head off with a big grin on her face. Thats something Kara and Alex understand. You protect family first by any means necessary. Batman left a trail of bodies in the Myriad base. Don't be fooled Barry. This world is bloody, whether you are wearing a mask running through the streets or you are an 18 year old solider carrying a gun in some Middle Eastern desert."

Barry sat back, no longer nervous about being in the DEO. He had too much on his mind. Despite knowing what he was walking into, hearing the reality in this office in a secure facility was another thing all together.

"You said she did." Barry told them quietly. "You asked if I wanted to do what Kara did? She isn't coming back as Supergirl, is she?"

Both men looked uncomfortably at each other, not sure what to say. The silence was enough for Barry.

They weren't expecting her back. The Martian would not cover for her forever.

"We don't know, Barry. Thats the truth. No one knows." Webb told him. "But personally, I hope she never wears a cape again. I hope Alex quits the DEO and this vigilante stuff. I hope they can find some peace." Connolly admitted. "But that means the world is going to be looking for new heroes, people to carry on what she started. Bruce Wayne has been making plans for the last few years to form an organized team, identifying metahumans and others with special combat skills. He will ask you to join and I think you should."

"Why? For years? Why would he want this when he had Kara? What metahuman or alien or human could beat her? She has no weaknesses." Barry pointed out.

"Because Batman has been hoping since her suicide attempt that she would quit. She is her own weakness and you know it." Webb told him. "You want to be with her. You kept her secret for years, owing her nothing. You fell for her the first time you looked at her and I suspect she felt the same. She needs peace, happiness and you could be a key to that. But you are going to have to protect her and her family, no matter what it takes. Are you in or out? We don't want you to join the DEO. We don't even want you working with us. We want to make you what you could be. We owe it to Kara and Alex. You haven't even begun to reach your potential, Barry."

The man tried to think of everything he had heard. He seriously thought about asking for time to think about it.

But he didn't need time, did he? Not really. How many times had Barry wished he were faster, or stronger. How many times had he been indecisive while fighting metahumans?

What would he do to protect the ones he loved?

What wouldn't he do?

What would he do if he had a chance to stop some other kid from losing their parents?

"When do we start?" he asked. Neither men smiled, but he suspected they were happy.

Webb stood up and walked to his file cabinet, pulling a thick file and tossing it in front of Barry.

"What is this?"

"The most dangerous aliens in the universe who could be a threat to this planet. At least the ones Kara, Alex and Kelex know about. Some may be dead but we assume they are alive until proven differently." the Director told him.

The Flash took a look, seeing names like Brainiac, Zod, Mongul, one that was short and listed as rumor with not much information. That one was titled Darkseid. Bloodlines parasites, Draal and the list went on.

"Study these over the next couple days." Connolly told him. "Read all of them, take your time and don't speed read. When you are done with this file you can move on to the next one I will bring to you. Every one of them has as much information as Kara's Kryptonian databanks has. There are also plans Alex and Kara have come up with, hypothetical battle plans, ideas of what could work to destroy them if they decided to show up here. Learn them, front and back, add your own ideas if you have any. You will be staying at Dante's old apartment. You will not come back to the DEO. Run to Central City if you are desperately needed but otherwise be here. You will be given an address for a black site only known to the five of us and J'onn. That is where you will train. You are going to get faster, stronger, tougher and we can figure out what else you can do. We start in two days."

Barry nodded his head, committing himself to this. If this is what it took, he would do it. Webb handed him a cell phone.

"Here is a phone we have been told to provide for you. We can contact you on it and it is completely secure, Kelex approved. We were told about ten minutes before you showed that Kara will also have a phone. Her number is in contacts and you can call her whenever you want."

"Okay…"

"Do not mention anything about metahumans or alien threats or crime in general." Webb continued. "I wouldn't ask you to lie to her but if she doesn't ask about this training it would be better not to bring it up. If she does ask…thats up to you, I guess."

Taking a key to the apartment, Barry raced to his new residence, very excited. He finally had a way to contact Kara without having to go through her little brother o X Box or older sister. She answered on the first ring.

"Hey."

Barry immediately noticed her voice sounded tired.

"Is this a bad time?"

"For you, never. I just took a sedative and when I wake up I get to spend time with one of my new team of counselors. I think this one is about PTSD. My last one came to the conclusion I had Daddy issues and wasn't hugged enough as a child. How have you been?"

Barry thought of where he was and what he was doing.

"Been good. Nothing exciting going on. You think…you think I might be able to see you this weekend? If not, its cool…"

"I would like that. You sure you wouldn't mind being holed up in an underground facility with my little brother?" she asked teasingly.

"Nah, I can handle…" Barry almost called him Stinky but wasn't sure if Clark wanted her to know about their late night conversations … "the little guy."

He heard Kara take a deep breath. He hoped it was a yawn.

"Barry…last night I was given a new antipsychotic. I had a hallucination, one that felt very real. I thought I was being attacked and kind of fought someone who wasn't there. I destroyed a wall. I had to be sedated. I can't promise if you see me that you won't see things…you may not want to see. Things I wouldn't want you to see. Are you sure?"

"I'll be there Saturday morning, unless you want to see me sooner? I can be there in an hour or less."

"No, you have work. I have an appointment with a guy who is going to tell me it isn't my fault and I have Daddy issues."

Barry shook his head, wondering what that was about. Kara sounded…a bit drunk, but he knew that wasn't the case. As he suspected, the meds were having an effect on her.

"Okay, if you get the chance, you think you could call me tonight?" he asked, hoping to hear her when she was a bit more lucid.

"I promise. I don't take my sedative for the night until nine. I will cal you at 8:30, okay?"

"I look forward to it. Talk to you tonight." Barry hung up the phone, grinning for the first time in days. She sounded slightly spacey but seemed to be in better spirits than the last time he spoke to her.

He also understood if she was ever going to have any peace, he would have to step up his game. Contacting Bruce Wayne may be in his immediate future.

 **The Block**

Kara hung up the phone with a lazy smile and drifted off to sleep. She had taken a mild sedative as opposed to the ones she took at night and fell into a dream free sleep for a few hours. When she woke up the girl was greeted by the sight of a somber Alex petting Streaky with one hand and running her hands through Kara's hair with the other.

"Here to get me ready for my next session of talking about the worst moments of my life?" Kara guessed.

Alex shook her head.

"We need to have a family meeting. Caitlin and Shay want to talk to us. There is a problem…they don't think it is possible…we have checked over the data as well…we don't think it is possible to develop a drug that can power up or down with the amount of solar radiation in your body. Maybe with years to work on it…but for now a drug won't be able to lessen or increase its own potency based on whether you are under yellow or red sunlight."

"You mean…"

"You are going to have to make a decision. We have a few days until your liver is healed completely but at that point, they need a decision so the medication dosages can be adjusted to your body, depending on whether you want to continue to metabolize solar energy."

Kara shook her head. She knew she may not come out of this as sharp as before and suspected she may have to give up her powers but hearing it…

"Tell Clark. He deserves to be in this meeting. He should have been involved before this. After we talk about this, I'm going to need you with me, Alex. I'm going to need you all."

"I know, Kara. No matter what you decide we are going to support you."

"Thats not it. I know you all will. The meds… yeah, I have to think about it. But I don't want to lie anymore. If he is going to hate me, I would rather get it out of the way now."

"Clark would never hate you, Kara."

"He might. I'm telling him, Alex. I'm telling him about Krypton. I'm going to tell him everything. I'm tired of carrying it on my own and I am tired of the secrets. For better or worse, he deserves to know the truth."


	16. Chapter 16

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Okay, I've been on vacation but ya'll gotta give me some props. 30,000 plus words in five days? Yeah, I have no life. Anyway Happy New Years! This chapter is a long one so I'll just let you get to it. Next chapter will have a lot of Barry Kara interaction.

 **Chapter 16 Facing Truths**

Clark walked carefully into the room where his mother, father and sisters sat in a circle of chairs along with the lady who he gathered was a friend of Barry from her conversations with Alex and the genius Batman hired named Shay.

"Mom? You wanted me? I won't listen, I promise. I was just playing on the X Box. I promise, no need to threaten me with grounding."

"I wanted you here, Clark." Kara told him, surprising the boy.

"I thought this was a family meeting? I don't come to those. You have said a lot that if I ever came to one, you would stop coming or you wouldn't say anything. Are you feeling okay? You're not dying, are you?"

Kara should have laughed but couldn't find it in her. She knew the boy was serious. Even Alex had suggested Clark be included in family meetings in the past, considering he was probably listening and hearing more than he needed to constantly, regardless.

"Yeah, I was wrong. No surprise. You are a part of this and you deserve to be here. I want you here. Come sit by me."

"So, you aren't dying?"

"No, I'm not dying." Kara assured him.

He cautiously took a seat next to her, Alex on his other side. His mom and dad were smiling so it couldn't be anything too bad.

"Okay doctors. We are all here. Break the news to me." Kara started.

Caitlin looked towards Shay. Shay knew she was technically the physician in charge of this facility, so it was on her. She prayed that the antipsychotic Kara had the night before was out of her system. She truly did not want an enraged, fully powered Kryptonian to deal with…or run from. She knew Kara would be angry when she was brought in at first, even violent after beginning withdrawals. That was no problem, price of working in this field. Seeing the video of the girl crashing through a wall last night and the blur her fists made as they swung at her hallucination brought it home to the woman just how important it was to not get the medications wrong. She was a force of nature that had lost her grip on reality for a few moments and caused quite a lot of destruction.

"As you know, your parents have been working on antianxiety medication for a couple years. I have been working, building on their work for the past six months. We have not made any real progress until you arrived and we could examine your blood and samples of your DNA. The sedatives have been working, and I think with some fine tuning the mood stabilizers…"

"Why am I taking those?" Kara interrupted. "I understand the antidepressants but why antipsychotics? Those are usually called for in bipolar or schizophrenic cases. Do you think I am either of those?" the blonde asked. She didn't have any anger in her voice, just genuine curiosity because at this point, after everything she had experienced so far here, she had no idea.

"We want the mood stabilizers to help with the PTSD. Your next counselor you are scheduled to meet with will talk about some of the different ways these could help. I promise, we are not trying to give you anymore medication than you need." Veritas told her quickly and what she hoped was calmly.

Kara knew though, and a look at her family's faces told her they, apart from Clark, knew.

Shay Veritas was afraid of Kara.

The blonde was not surprised. She had that effect on people and aliens. Nothing could clear out an alien bar faster than the sight of Kara Zor El walking inside.

"I know. I was just wondering." She told the woman quietly.

Veritas almost visibly relaxed and glanced at Caitlin, hoping she would take over. Kara seemed calm and had been calm apart from last night. Since the sedatives began and she slept around ten hours of a 24-hour period, she was noticeably more relaxed. Caitlin caught the look and decided she would have to take it from here.

"So…" she began… "Jeremiah, Alex and Eliza have been working with the dosages of the medication with us, triple checking our results I suppose you could say. Kara, trying to determine the correct dosages while you are powered is difficult. With your body already metabolizing solar energy, the speed it is metabolizing the medication makes it difficult to determine a correct dose."

Caitlin tried to swallow but her mouth was suddenly very dry. It annoyed her a bit that Veritas was pushing this on her.

"We also can't develop a dosage for one metabolic state that will be correct for the other and the biggest problem…"

"I know." Kara interrupted her, sensing how nervous the woman was becoming, hearing her heart rate increase. This was a woman who had been kidnapped by Zoom, kidnapped by Mick Rory, nearly killed by her evil doppelganger and she was nervous talking to Kara.

"The technology does not exist here, or probably anywhere, that would allow a drug to reduce or increase its potency immediately based on the amount and type of solar radiation in my body." Kara told them but was mostly talking to herself.

"It was a great idea in theory. I take a few pills and everything is fine. If I want to feel normal the drugs reduce in potency immediately so I don't die and if I want to power up they jump up their game so I don't lose the effects. Antidepressants need time to build up in a system, just like mood stabilizers do. If the drug does not work as designed my body could burn it out in seconds. It's impossible. I know. I think I have known since this started. I have to make a decision. Live with my powers full time, or have a red solar crystal implanted in my body and live without them, permanently."

No one spoke for a moment, a moment that stretched longer than a minute. The two doctors were watching the family carefully. Kara sat forward, elbows on her knees and stared at the floor, Alex looked ahead, eyes not focused on anything but her hand rubbing Clark's back.

It was obvious from the look on Jeremiah and Eliza's face they knew what they wanted her to do but were doing their best not to show it.

"Thank you, both of you. Can we have the room? We will have a decision shortly." Kara told them. The two doctors left quickly and quietly.

None of the five said anything, no one really knowing where to start or who should talk first.

"I want you to quit. I want both of you to quit." Clark told Kara but looking between his two sisters.

"If she quits I am done too. Promise, Squirt."

"I also want you to stop calling me that."

"Not going to happen." Alex told him, then looked at Kara, who had yet to meet anyone's eyes.

After a few more moments of silence, Kara looked at her little brother.

"I wouldn't be able to fly with you anymore." She told him.

"I'll carry you in the air, like you have done for me before." he offered. "I'll stop if you want me to, anything if you will just quit."

Kara sat up straight and took his hand.

"Clark, sometimes this world, it is…"

"It doesn't have to be you! I always thought it was cool that you were Supergirl but I don't want to lose you and I just know I will if you don't stop."

"You will never lose me." The girl assured him.

"I almost lost you when you blew up that Kryptonite all over the place to kill those other guys who wanted to kill us. I almost lost you when you tried to kill yourself! I stayed by your bed for weeks and you hardly talked. You would have died if you had put any red sunlight near you the night before they brought you here! Don't tell me I won't lose you! I don't care about Supergirl or that stupid symbol that was supposed to belong to our house or whatever it was called. I just want you to stop. Please, Kara!"

"Clark, calm down." Eliza whispered, standing behind the boy now. "It's going to be okay."

Clark wasn't sure but he did as his mom requested.

Kara took a deep breath and glanced at Alex.

"I go where you go. Your call." The older sister said immediately.

"You will quit? No more crime fighting, no more DEO?"

"Yes, she will." Clark answered, not leaving room for discussion.

Alex shook her head, humored and wondering why she hadn't insisted Clark be involved years ago.

"You quit, I quit. I am brilliant after all and I say it humbly. I can do a lot of things. I'm sort of tired of dealing with monsters all the time. As long as I can keep my staff and we can save a lot of money on airfare by holding onto Scarlett but yeah, no more. If you want to keep doing it, I am fine with that too."

Kara nodded her head, a little annoyed but not surprised. Alex would never tell her how she really felt.

"But," Alex surprisingly continued, "I hesitate to bring this up because it was traumatic as well, probably one of the worst things you have ever gone through, but the Black Mercy. I was in your head, Kara. I saw your perfect world and it had nothing to do with flying or heat vision or Krypton. You were happiest there and you weren't Supergirl. I saw how happy you were. When you first landed, you talked about finding a way to get rid of the powers, wanting to forget. Maybe you can never forget but you can get rid of them. We will be safe. We don't need powers to be safe and to keep them safe. We could both have something resembling normal lives. Sure, we may have an ice fortress filled with alien tech and space ships and weapons, complete with a flying robot butler but we can sort of have a normal life. Kelex can keep us up to date on any threats long before they make a move."

Kara was surprised. She hadn't expected Alex to bring any of that up. Her sister had been thinking of this for a long time apparently.

"You want me to quit?"

Alex nodded her head. "I'll beg if I have to. We don't need this. The world can take care of itself."

"And if something happens, if something comes that the world can't handle?"

"Then we use the transporter to get to the Fortress, get into our space ship and get the hell off this planet. How much more do we have to give? We saved every life on this planet once. You gave up your childhood to do it. Do you have to give up your sanity as well? We don't owe this world anything, Kara. Its time to take care of us. That's my opinion."

Kara looked towards her parents, noting Eliza had tears and a hopeful look on her face. Perhaps they had not all talked about this beforehand because Jeremiah seemed relieved by Alex's opinion. The blonde really didn't need to ask them. Their opinions were obvious.

"I hate the idea of you being vulnerable, Kara. I always have" Eliza started.

"But I know you don't have to have your powers to make yourself vulnerable. I am frightened all the time, wishing I could find a way to make you smile, the same way you smiled the first time we went to the Botanical Gardens in Raleigh or the way you light up when you see some new creature in nature. I have given it a lot of thought…for the past three or four years, honestly after Myriad, and I think with the right medications, therapy and not feeling like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, without these powers that make you feel so alone even when you aren't, I think you could be happy. I wouldn't worry constantly that you are going to… kill yourself."

The woman began squeezing her hands together and closed her eyes, having said her peace and waiting for her daughter to decide if the nightmare could really end. Jeremiah cleared his throat.

Kara met his eyes, turned away for a moment, not sure she wanted to hear the words and then looked at him once more. She saw the same fear in his eyes that Eliza had but his was muted, not as obvious. All she really saw was the love in his eyes and the same look of determination he had when he knew the two might have a disagreement and was determined to get what he wanted from her. He had failed at that for many years on an assortment of things, from alcohol to men, to careers.

"Kara, I can see you know how I feel and you knew how Eliza would feel before she said it. I don't have to tell you. What I can do is make you a promise. This isn't me attempting to bribe you…okay this is me attempting to bribe you."

Kara smiled, not having laughter in her but being amused at her father none the less. He did have a way of swaying her to his way of thinking quite a bit. Plus, if she were honest with herself, she probably did try to please him more than the others, except when it came to the last few years.

"I do love bribes." Kara joked.

"If you leave, we all leave. The super suits, both of yours, stay at the Fortress. We move back to Midvale, all of us. I know how badly you want to live there again. Eliza and I talked to the head of the genetics lab at UNC Raleigh. He has a project we are very interested in. Alex has an idea for research paper she has always wanted to have published. You can install a transporter in the house somewhere and we could get to the Fortress quickly if need be. We could still be safe and we would be home, back to where we were before this started. I know that is always where we as a family have been happiest. We could have that again."

Of all the things Kara was expecting, this was not it. He knew her well, of course. Even under the alcohol and anger, depression, Kara was still just a little girl wanting to be home and in her mind, home had always been Midvale.

"You both, all three of you will quit the DEO?"

"We were only there to be able to help you and Alex. If you stop, we all stop and we go home. You could fix that piece of junk bike Bruce gave you and sell it, take the money, open your own restoration shop or anything else you want. You can do something you are passionate about, anything. You planned to do this when you were thirty. So, we jump up the timeline by six years."

Kara sat back and tilted her head to the ceiling. She was not surprised they all wanted her to quit. What did surprise her was how desperate they seemed about it, especially Clark. She had thought he would be against it. He loved reading and hearing about her and Alex's adventures. Maybe the reality of everything had occurred to him. He watched her self-destruct. She always thought and hoped that he would be the one not to notice the path she was on, but he had, not just the suicide attempt either.

Finally taking a deep breath, she took Clark's hand.

"What do you want to do, Kara?" Alex asked her.

She could have asked for time to think, probably should. This was a huge decision. It would affect all of them, not just Kara. It would affect the world.

But the world didn't matter because Kara knew in her heart, there was absolutely no way she could stop drinking, stop the drugs, if she continued. Having a lot of time to think here, she knew another suicide attempt, one that would be successful, was not far off. If she were dead, the world would lose her regardless.

She really wasn't sure how she would stop drinking once she left this place. Supposedly this substance abuse counselor would help her but the girl knew it would probably be one of the hardest things she had ever faced.

What about the children who wanted to see her? What about the money raised for hospitals? What about…

Her family?

Kara stood up and faced them all, a single tear on her cheek.

"I want to go home."

The relief in the room was obvious. It felt as if a window had been opened and all the pressure had escaped. Her family stood and circled her, wrapping their arms around her, except for Clark who held her waist.

Kara enjoyed the feeling for a few moments and decided it was the right choice. Maybe there was no right choice, but this was the best for her and the people she loved.

"Can I reschedule this PTSD thing for tomorrow morning? I want to sleep and then we need to meet again. Clark, were you listening to me and Barry, the night before I was brought here?"

The little boy looked at his mother and father with wide eyes, telling her what she suspected was right.

"I thought so. You know there are things I haven't told you about Krypton, about our house, things I kept from you. Things you won't like, things you will probably be angry at me for keeping from you. But I can't hold it inside anymore. If you want to know, I will tell you. I will tell you everything. Think about whether you want to know. I wish I had never known and it isn't easy to live with…"

"I want to know." The little boy told her immediately. "And I would never, ever hate you."

Kara nodded her head, suspecting he would want to know. She wasn't certain about the second part of his statement but it didn't matter. He knew enough about her to know she had kept secrets for many years from him. It was time to let it all go.

"Then I am going to take my pill and take a nap. I guess I will need to go a day without medication before you implant the chip, right?"

Her parents nodded.

"I'll ask J'onn to go to the Fortress and bring it here." Alex offered. "As soon as your liver scan comes back healthy we can do it. Saturday morning, maybe?"

"Okay." Kara agreed and walked out, wanting nothing more at that moment than to sleep.

Alex walked Kara to her room, watched her take her sedative and fall into a deep sleep, complete with snoring. Satisfied, she took the elevator to its lowest level to find Bruce at his console with Alfred, researching who knew what. She had a decent idea though.

"How did it go?" Bruce asked, both him and Alfred giving her their complete attention the moment she walked in.

Alex smiled.

"If you are really going to attempt to assemble a team, start now. We are done.

Alfred let out a relieved breath and Bruce grinned.

"I have J'onn, I want Barry Allen, I think I have a lead on our mysterious metahuman who can swim fairly well. I also want to find out about this Diana Prince. Everything I have learned about her and her reasoning for being in National City teaching a course, becoming acquainted with you and Kara, it is obvious as we suspected that it was no coincidence she was there. I know where she is and I will be leaving tonight, see her in the morning. I am guessing the surgery will be Saturday or Sunday?"

Alex nodded. "We aren't putting her under, just using local anesthesia. Dad is going to put it right under her collar bone, clip it on underneath the bone so it won't move and still be protected if she is hit in the chest. The last thing he wants is the thing coming loose and traveling all over her torso."

"I'll be back before then. Alex..I'm very happy."

The man stood up and wrapped the thin girl in his arms. Kara and Alex Danvers had been constants he could always count on since he met them. They along with Dick and J'onn were the only ones he completely trusted to fight by his side. He was losing two but he had suspected that. Saving Kara had always been more important than keeping Supergirl.

Bruce moved to pack but stopped at the door.

"Alex, she will still help with my equipment…right? The weapons we have been developing, the new stealth suit, things like that…right?"

"I'll help you Bruce." Alex offered.

"I'll take my chances but thanks for the offer." he told her and entered the elevator, leaving an annoyed Alex alone with Alfred.

"I think you are a brilliant biologist, Alex." The man told her.

"Save it Alfred."

 **Central City S.T.A.R. Labs**

Cisco had gone from annoyed to angry by the time Barry had ignored his fourth call. On the fifth in an hour, the man finally answered.

"Hey, everything okay?" Barry asked.

"Why the hell haven't you picked up your phone?" the man practically yelled.

"I had it on silent. I've been studying some files…is everything okay?" Barry asked again.

"No, it's not. First Caitlin disappears to some secret project I know you know about and won't tell me. Now Joe tells me you have taken some bogus training assignment in National City for the next couple months. I thought we were a team? My team seems to have left me without a word, alone in S.T.A.R. Labs. I want to know what the hell is going on!"

"Calm down." Barry told him which did nothing to calm him down.

"Man, ever since Supergirl showed up here and you two hooked up things have been weird. Millions of dollars flowing into the place, Caitlin gone without much of a word, now you are gone. I need to know what is going on. This has everything to do with her, doesn't it? Are you with her? Are you moving in with her? What is going on?"

Cisco heard nothing for a moment, except Barry shuffling papers of some sort and a deep sigh.

"Look, there are some things going on that I can't talk about over the phone. I am in National City, I am not with Kara, but I am training, learning more about aliens, and there is more danger than we ever dreamed of, Cisco. This is bigger than Central City."

"So why am I not with you?"

Because he wasn't invited was the obvious reason. But why? Caitlin and Barry being gone from Central City, the money from Wayne Industries, and now Barry was telling him that he couldn't talk about something over the phone?

"Because someone needs to be in Central City. If a meta shows up I can be there in thirty minutes."

"And if something like a robbery occurs, or a…"

"Then let the police handle it! That is what they get paid to do! I told you, the danger is bigger than Central City, Cisco. I'm fast but I can't be everywhere at once. If this wasn't important I wouldn't be here!"

Cisco thought about dropping the phone, wondering what the hell was going on that made a normally unflappable Barry Allen snap.

"Sorry man. Uh…look, it's probably better you aren't around for a while. That guy you were talking to, or whatever he was, you know the monster I mean?"

He heard Barry take a deep breath. When he spoke again the man seemed calmer.

"What about him?"

"Star City police are kind of looking for him. I'm sure they want to find out what you know about him since you two were kind of drinking coffee together by a pond. You know who Damian Darhk is?"

Cisco heard a rapid shuffling of papers. Barry was reading something very quickly.

"No, what planet is he from?"

What planet is he from? What the hell was Barry researching? Maybe the training about aliens that Joe thought was bogus was the actual truth.

"Far as I know, he is from here. Felicity called looking for you. She wanted to know what you knew about him. Apparently, this Damian Darhk was the terrorist behind the attack at the Waterfront in Star City and a string of robberies and murders. He had been leading some organization called a Hive or ghosts…I'm not sure what she was talking about. Anyway, Oliver and company were looking for this guy but that…"

"Lobo?" Barry helped.

"Yeah, apparently, he caught the guy, brought him to the police station wrapped in a chain and turned him over to the police. He called somebody and said the contract was fulfilled."

"So, he brought in a bad guy. That's good, right?"

"Yeah, except once the police had him, he grabbed the guy away from the cops, threw him onto the street in front of the police department and used a very big rifle to disintegrate him. The cops tried to arrest him but he said he was the high king of Czarnia and had diplomatic immunity. Then he drove off on a giant chopper into a portal of light and was gone. The guy is a psycho. All Supergirl's friends seem to be psychos. Maybe you should think about staying away from National City and anything alien related, including her."

"Maybe you should mind your own business! Is there some law that I'm not aware of that says only the Green Arrow can kill people in Star City?"

Cisco honestly had no answer to that. Barry sounded different but he would never have condoned an act like that. The man had no idea how Barry and Oliver had become so close in the first place considering Oliver's actions in the past.

"Okay then… I guess I will let you get back to what you were doing. Give me a call when you can or better, run over and tell me what the hell is going on."

Cisco ended the call and spun around in his chair, not knowing quite what to do. Play video games, work on projects or find something of Barry's and attempt to vibe it, hoping it would give him a clue.

Instead he nearly fell out of his chair when a voice called his name from behind.

The man managed to prevent the chair from tipping over and stood, taking in the intruders.

Neither looked particularly deadly but metahumans often didn't.

One was a man, average height, neatly cut brown hair, wearing jeans and a white Coast City Pier 51 st shirt. The man who hadn't shaved in weeks and had longer, shaggy blonde hair and unkempt beard was dressed similar, only he wore a Baltimore Orioles t shirt.

"You Cisco Ramon?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah…how did you get in here?" he asked, annoyed that once again S.T.A.R. Labs should save money on a security system and just have a revolving door installed.

"This is important. My name is Guy and this is my…colleague, Hal. You are the metahuman who can make breaches, bend the frequencies of the universe, that sort of thing? I heard if you touch something you might get a feel about it. I need you to touch this, figure out if you can see where another one might be on this planet. It's very important we find this ring."

"How the hell…who the hell…what is going on? I'm going to need more information…how do you even know who we…who I…"

"I told you this wouldn't work." Hal whispered to Guy. Guy looked annoyed but his hope that the man would do what he asked with minimal questions was obviously crushed. Instead he would have to go with plan B.

While Cisco tried to understand what was going on, a trend recently, he noted that the ring the man asked about was glowing. There was an energy coming out of it, some sort of light.

Forming a blade. A blade that was now under Cisco's chin and he could feel it was very solid and real, even burned a bit but not enough to blister he hoped.

"Guy…"

"Save it, Hal. We came here for a reason. Listen kid, touch this ring, tell me what you see and we leave your life forever. Don't and my friend won't keep me from slicing off your head. Got it?"

"Guy!" Jordan shouted.

Gardener took a deep breath. His ring was humming and he knew he was close to losing control of it. He drew the red energy back into the ring.

"Sorry kid. Look it is important we find the one that looks just like this one. How we know about you, what you can do and any other little detail, isn't important. The thing is, we do. If we don't find this ring things are going to get scary, end of the world scary. Can you do it or not? I'm not playing 20 questions with you."

Cisco took the man in once again, focusing only on him and not his calm friend. For a second he swore the man's eyes flashed red. The ring was still glowing and whatever kind of weapon it was, one thing for sure, was the obvious danger.

"Why do you want to find it?" Cisco asked. "I'm not going to help you find something to help you end the world."

"Good point." Hal agreed. "Why should he help you?" the calmer one was enjoying himself, Cisco realized. Was this some good cop, bad cop kind of thing?

"Because I want to get this thing the hell off this planet. If someone who isn't as nice as I am finds it first, that person could burn this city and every other city in the world down before we could stop them. I would prefer to stop this from happening. Now will you pretty please with sugar on top, touch my damn ring and tell me if you see another one hiding and can tell where it is?"

Ramon could tell this guy was barely holding his temper in but for some reason he felt he could trust this Hal. He also noticed Hal had a similar ring on his finger but it was green and not glowing. They may not be enemies, but he doubted they were partners.

Cisco nodded lightly and retrieved his goggles. He had been working on not needing them but they still helped him focus and the man had an idea this would be tricky.

Guy held out his fist and Cisco touched the ring with his bare finger.

The man stood still, stiff as a board for a moment.

Guy and Hal watched closely, hoping this kid could give them some clue.

That hope was destroyed when Cisco Ramon let loose a blood curdling scream and fell to the floor, screaming for someone to make it stop.

After a minute during which neither Lantern knew what to do and instead stared at the man on the ground, Cisco finally calmed down. Hal bent over and helped the kid to his feet.

"So…see anything?" Guy asked innocently, earning a sharp glare from Hal.

Cisco waited for a moment, trying to gather up the will to speak.

"Yeah." He finally told them. "I saw a monster. He was in a prison and killed four more like him. His anger, it unleashed, it made this…thing. It was as if the blood formed some sort of structure and rings…rings came out…the screams, all the rings were screaming and he beat the other four, he crushed their skulls. Then I saw some sort of robots slaughtering these aliens and this guy, he wanted…the rings, they…there was an ocean of blood. How can an ocean be made of blood? Its Hell. If there is another ring, it's in Hell. Get away from me. I never want to see another one of those. Stay away from me."

Guy wanted to know more, but a look at Hal told him the kid would only be traumatized more. He had hoped Ramon would be able to see where another ring was. Guy had no idea Cisco would see the destruction of Atrocitus home world, the alien killing the four inversions and using blood magic to form the first red power battery or the rings, filled with his rage, seeking out those with the same.

Yeah, he decided. It was probably time to go.

"Good thing we didn't show him a black ring, right Hal? Thanks for your help, Ramon" he told Cisco politely and walked out, leaving Jordan behind.

Jordan smiled apologetically at the kid. "Sorry about that. I would appreciate it if we could keep this incident between us. Take care Cisco Ramon."

So it was, Joe found Cisco in a chair at S.T.A.R. Labs, four hours later, wide eyed and paler than the man had ever seen him. West had stopped by, hoping Barry had given him some answers. Instead Cisco looked like he had seen something horrible happen in front of his face.

"Cisco?"

The man looked at Joe, seeming to notice him for the first time.

"You okay?"

"With blood and rage…" the man mumbled.

"I didn't catch that. Cisco?"

"Corpse… will burn you all…" he continued quietly until Joe helped him stand.

"You have got to stop watching horror movies and eating pizza right before you go to sleep. C'mon, let's go to my place. I'll make us some dinner. Iris is coming over and maybe the three of us can figure out what the hell is going on with Barry and Caitlin."

"Freshly dead corpse…"

"Cisco!"

The man shook his head, finally realizing Joe was there and not part of the scene he was running over and over in his head.

"You okay? Something happen? You are freaking me out, man. I can tell Barry to get here now if there is something…has something happened?"

Had something happened? Yes, it had. Cisco had seen Hell. He never wanted to see it again.

"No, nothing happened. We don't need Barry, no metas, nothing unusual. So, you said something about food?"

Joe looked him over carefully. He seemed to have snapped out of whatever haze he was in. Perhaps he had vibed the wrong thing or fell asleep and had a nightmare. Whatever happened, it was clear Ramon did not want to talk about it.

"Yeah, let's have dinner and we can figure out what the hell is going on with Barry and Caitlin."

Cisco nodded his absently and followed, determined that what happened that afternoon was his imagination. It had to be. If he didn't talk about it, it couldn't be real.

 **The Block**

Kara had woken to a cup of coffee in Eliza's hand for her. She hadn't been asleep long, only three hours, but wished she could go back to sleep. Already, as soon as she woke, she desperately wanted a drink. She did not want to have this conversation with Clark, ever.

"We can talk to him, Kara. It doesn't have to be you."

"If I run now, how long am I going to be running? When does it stop?" she asked. "You want to be able to trust me again, one day, right? How I can I ever get to that point if I keep holding all these lies inside me? I don't want to do this but I must. He has the right to hear it from me."

Eliza held her cup while Kara got out of bed and then proceeded to drain the cup in two seconds.

"Do I look as tired as I always feel? I'm not used to sleeping this much and I still feel like I am sleepwalking."

"It will get better. It's a side effect. You will eventually only take the pill at night to help you sleep. You are taking these naps because your body needs sleep to recover. Food also. I know you aren't hungry but you have to make yourself eat."

"Food still makes me sick. I hate to vomit."

Eliza understood.

"Look at it as practice. You are going to be human. That means you are going to get sick. We have some medications prepared…"

"I'm not going to be human. I will always be an alien. I will be as close as I can but it is hard to forget what I am."

"You are my daughter." Eliza told her. "That is all that matters. Kara, you understand we will numb the site of the implant but once it wears off we are going to have to try a type of painkiller that is new. We are only able to use certain ingredients…"

"Because it can't be the equivalent of a narcotic. I'm an addict, I know. I'll manage. You know I am used to pain. Let's get this over with and don't worry about me. He is going to need you more."

Eliza didn't argue, knowing it was going to be an emotional afternoon for all involved.

The family of five sat in the same room as before, only Clark now sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest. Kara took a similar position next to him. Alex stretched out her legs, sitting opposite and wrapped an arm around the boy leaning back against her chair.

"You ready?" Kara asked.

Clark nodded, his face blank.

"I'm going to start this where it began, fifteen years before you were born. You learned in school about fossil fuels, you know what they are, right?"

"Yeah."

"Krypton had similar substances that we used to power our planet. But we had been using them for a very long time and the planet ran out. We tried to use Rao…our sun, to power our technology but we weren't able to generate enough power. So, our house…remember I told you our house was made up of scientists? That my father and yours and your mother were scientists?

"You said they tried to save the planet. They stayed behind and didn't come with us because they wanted to try and save everyone."

Kara took a deep breath and looked at Alex.

"Yeah, I lied. The truth is, our grandfather and fathers thought of a way to power our technology from the planets radioactive core. They thought the core would stay energized no matter how much we pulled out. They were wrong. They made a mistake and by the time they realized it, there was nothing to be done. They knew the planet would die, in ten years, twenty at the most."

Clark looked at his parents, hoping for any sign that wasn't true but he didn't need to see their faces to know it was.

"So, everyone hated our family because we destroyed the planet?"

"No, because they didn't tell anyone. They kept it a secret. After our grandfather died only our parents knew."

Clark for the first time, showed emotion on his face and it wasn't sadness.

"They knew everyone was going to die and didn't tell anyone!? How? Why? Why would they do that?"

As Kara suspected, he was angry. It wouldn't get any easier.

"Because they thought since it couldn't be stopped, it would only cause panic. Maybe they didn't want to admit they were wrong. But…it gets worse."

"Great." The boy mumbled.

"Before I get to this next part, I want to tell you something about how children are born on Krypton." Kara told him, deciding this would need to be understood before the rest could be.

"Mom and Dad had this talk with me a couple months ago, I would really like to not go over it again. Please?"

Kara shook her head.

"Things weren't like that on Krypton. On Krypton, we had something called the Codex. The Codex was a crystal in the shape of a skull. Remember how Kryptonian crystals can hold all sorts of things, like flying robots and big castles?"

The boy nodded.

"This one held the DNA of all our kind, even those that had not been born. When parents wanted to have children, they applied and were given an option of having a boy or girl. Their DNA strands were mixed with ones from the codex. We were grown in a lab and our genetic structure was altered. We were given predispositions during incubation so that we would be ready for whatever jobs were required of us. I would have either been a scientist or lawyer."

"That seems cooler than what Mom told me about." The boy admitted. "So, our Moms didn't carry us around for nine months?"

"Mine didn't. Yours did. You weren't given any predispositions. The reason your father told the council is because he wanted to see how you would grow without any interference."

Clark rubbed his forehead. "I am sensing a but in here." The boy groaned.

"But it wasn't true. What I told about when we landed, that was all true, everything. But after we had…settled in I guess you could say, I let you play with one of the crystals. When you touched it, a hologram appeared in our bedroom. It was your…it was Jor El. He had constructed an AI with all his memories and instructions. I was to teach you what he wanted you to learn. He told me the reason I came with you and not your mother…"

Kara stopped and stood up, walking around the room for a moment. She wouldn't look at her parents right now. They would take it as a signal for one of them to take over. She couldn't be weak now.

She desperately wished she was drunk. This would be so much easier. Finally, she turned back to Clark whose eyes were on her intently.

"My mother was the Chief Judge of our planet. She knew about this and told your parents if I was not sent to Earth with you then she would turn them all in, and none of us would go. She basically blackmailed your parents for my life. They had no choice to agree so I became your primary caregiver when you were born, I guess so I would know how to feed you, change you, calm you down, things like that."

Clark leaned into Alex a bit more and closed his eyes.

"Did you know? Did they tell you?"

Kara sat back down, this time on a chair and shook her head.

"I didn't know anything. I learned this when I talked to Jor El's AI. He told me you were the future of Krypton and it was my duty in life to protect you at all costs."

"Why? Why me?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't know at the time. I was so mad because he talked to me like I was some servant. I told him I would protect you because I loved you but you would never know about him. Then I took the bags with the crystals and threw them into the ocean."

Clark said nothing, staring in front of him but not at anything or anyone. No one said a word, not knowing if Kara should carry on, or if Clark would say anything.

"Why…why if they knew we were coming all this time, why didn't they tell you? Why didn't they teach you English or give you food? Why didn't they give us clothes?"

"Because they were assholes." Alex piped up. Her eyes widened and she slapped her hand over her mouth.

"Sorry." she whispered.

"Clark." Kara started before Eliza gave Alex the look, "After a couple months I decided I wanted to know more. I wanted to know why he thought you were the future of Krypton. I couldn't figure it out. You weren't born like the rest of us. He told me you were the future because you had no predisposition but I knew he was lying. I swam to where I threw the bag of crystals and retrieved them. We took them to the cave. Mom had been testing your blood under a microscope so we would know how to treat you if you got sick. Alex…"

"Seriously? You have to bring me into this? It was your idea."

Kara stopped talking, breathed in and exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. When she heard Alex mumble another sorry, she began speaking again.

"I asked Alex to take a slide of your blood before Mom put it into the safe. We took it back to the cave and I activated Jor El's crystal again. That's when he told me what really happened to Krypton, how they were responsible for its destruction. He told me a lot of things. He told me the crystals would only open with your DNA and… he told me why you were born naturally."

Clark saw Kara's face tense more so than it had been.

"I'm really not going to like this, am I?"

Kara didn't bother to answer. He knew the answer.

"Your …Jor El wanted you…remember the Codex was a crystal? He figured out a way to take all the information in that crystal and bind it to your DNA. It won't hurt you but…yeah. The Codex…you are the Codex. It's a part of you anyway."

Clark stood up and walked out. Before Jeremiah could go after him he was back in, moving at a blur.

"Why would they do that to me? I have a bunch of…why? What was wrong with them? Why, Kara?"

"Clark, sit down and Kara will tell you." Alex told him in a voice that meant she wasn't asking. "You said you wanted to know, no matter what? Right?"

The little boy dropped his head and sat on the same cushioned chair as Kara.

"Why?"

Kara finally did look at her parents. For the first time tonight they looked very worried, as worried as Kara felt.

"He told me the crystals would form a Fortress and when the Fortress came into shape there would be machines to extract the DNA from your cells and begin a new race of Kryptonians. We were to stay in the Fortress, hide from the world until our people were ready. Supposedly we would build a ship and find a planet capable of life to start a new Krypton."

Clark said nothing, closing his eyes tightly, trying to digest everything he had heard. The Codex, a new race of Kryptonians, machines that would pull babies from his cells. He was beginning to understand now why Kara did not want to tell him. He was finally beginning to wish he had never known.

"We wouldn't have been able to find a planet where life didn't already exist. He wanted us to take over a planet, probably Earth, right?"

Kara nodded her head, not meeting his eyes.

"Probably. It didn't matter. I was so angry that he did that, I told him he had lost his mind. I told him…I told him he would give me access to the crystals or I would never tell you about him. I would lie to you and say I didn't remember where we came from or tell you your father was a horrible man we escaped from."

"He was and we did. But that man was not my father. He used me. He used both of us." Clark said in a voice that sounded far older than his years.

"He gave me control of the crystals. It was either that or the technology died. Once Alex and I constructed the Fortress, the machines were formed to extract the Codex DNA and begin forming new Kryptonians. I destroyed them. I told Kelex that he would never rebuild them and never tell you about any of this."

"That's why." Clark said quietly. "I never understood why you were so upset if Kelex showed me anything about Krypton or my…or them. You were afraid I would find out about all of this. When you woke up that morning and he was showing me pictures you almost blew him up."

"Yep. So, the suit that was or is in the Fortress, that is yours. When you were old enough you would wear it as some sort of ambassador to the world. I don't think that is what it was for. The cape, the indestructible material, I think it was made for war, the colors of our house, the colors to represent the New Krypton with our family coat of arms. I don't know for sure though. After I destroyed the machines, I ordered Kelex to download all information in Jor El's AI into the central databank and erase him from existence."

"And you put that symbol on you. You knew all those prison escapees hated us and you wore it anyway. You tried to draw them out of hiding, right?"

Kara nodded her head sadly. "I knew Astra and Non and the other Kryptonians were planning something but I never could find them. No one could. Most of them didn't know I was still alive so I made sure everyone knew. I screwed up though. I tried to capture Astra in Metropolis. Instead she followed me back and that was when she almost killed you and our parents."

"Kara that was not your fault." Eliza told her.

"Yes…"

"No it wasn't. You protected us. You protected me." Clark argued.

"I put you in danger."

"Dad told me once that you and Alex saved the world. I remember. I remember Mom and Dad being nervous because you and Alex were going into some Mirror thing. Astra was going to kill everyone, wasn't she? And you stopped her."

Kara shrugged her shoulders.

"Why didn't you want me to know?" the boy asked, finally looking at her.

Kara looked him in the eyes and as strong as he was trying to be, she could tell he was so upset.

"Are you glad you know? I never wanted you to feel like this. I never wanted you to know. I guessed if you ever found out that you would hate me for keeping it from you but it was a risk I had to take. I never wanted you to find out the kind of people your parents…my parents were."

Clark shook his head.

"They aren't our parents. They killed a planet, didn't tell anyone. Other people could have escaped. We got off so others could have. But they didn't. They just kept it to themselves and sent us away. They lied to us and they used us, all so we could start some new race. I bet if it was my cells my DNA would have had to be added. They wanted us to start a new House of El."

Kara frowned. She hadn't thought of that. Of course, the codex would need DNA to work. Clark's DNA at least. Every Kryptonian that came after would in some way be a member of the House of El.

Kara placed her head in her hands and closed her eyes tight. She thought about anything else she could have forgotten. It was all out so if there were any other secrets now would be the time. She had just destroyed every belief about the people he came from.

Having nothing else to say, she waited for whatever would happen. Kara heard sniffles and when her eyes reached Clark the boy was silently sobbing, his head in his hands. Alex was comforting him, holding him and Kara honestly had no idea if she should touch him. He hadn't seemed upset at her for keeping this from him but would he be upset that she told him? Yes, he had asked for it but she knew it would be…difficult.

Her dilemma was solved when he took one hand from his face and reached out to her. The girl quickly took his hand and he pulled her towards him and Alex, still crying but at least not screaming in anger. After a minute, giving their children time together, Jeremiah and Eliza joined them.

Once Clark had settled down, he looked broken hearted but still smiled at her.

"Thank you for telling me. I'm sorry…what they did, you had to hide this for so long. It hurt you, didn't it?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders.

"I wish I could blame it on them but I hurt myself more than they ever could. I don't want that to happen to you."

Clark nodded his head. "I think I need a little…can I go to my … the room I occupy? I just need to…"

"Play video games?" Alex guessed. "That's probably a good idea. You know the truth but the truth doesn't matter. We are family and that is all that matters. Who they were, they have nothing to do with you. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah, I know." He told her, wiping a very red eye. "Kara, you really thought I would hate you?"

Kara smiled at him. "Yeah, when you keep big secrets from the people you love the most, it makes you scared all the time. I…yeah…I have a lot of experience with that. You don't? You aren't mad?"

Clark shook his head and hugged her tightly, tight enough that Kara noticed. He had gotten a lot stronger in more ways than one.

Alex told Kara she would check on her in a minute and took Clark to his room, no doubt to play video games for a while until the kid fell asleep or seemed okay. Alex had a way of calming Clark and Kara for that matter, that Kara never could match.

Eliza wrapped an arm around Kara and the three walked into he hall, where Kara finally felt better, not worried that Clark would blow up any minute.

"Are you okay? That was very brave." Her mother told her.

"Thank you, thank you for being there."

"Always." Jeremiah told her, kissing the top of her head.

"Look, I know I'm not supposed to but I could really use some air. Its dark outside. Would either of you mind if I took a quick flight over the forest. I just need…I won't be able to much longer."

Jeremiah looked at Eliza, not knowing what to say. She had gone up top, never really alone, but flying wasn't much different. It was…

"I think that is a splendid idea." Alfred told them. Kara hadn't realized he was near. "A night time flight to clear the head after what I imagine was an intense gathering. I don't mean to pry, I was just walking by and saw young Master Clark come out and back in very quickly. From the blur, I guessed he wasn't happy so I thought I would stay near, see if he needed anything."

"Thank you, Alfred, but he is doing well." Jeremiah told the man. Despite his former dislike for Bruce Wayne he had always liked Alfred. "So, you think it would be a good idea for Kara to have a little space, huh? I don't suppose it would hurt if you aren't out long and don't…"

"Outstanding!" Alfred agreed, cutting Jeremiah off. "I will find something a bit more aerodynamic and we can be off."

Alfred began walking away until Kara grabbed his shoulder.

"What are you talking about? You want to fly with me?"

Alfred grinned.

"Of course, I do. I am your sobriety buddy after all. If you are going to lie to yourself and them that the only reason you want out is for air when we both know you plan to fly to the nearest bar, then I will be with you, buddy. This way when you are drinking, you can look at me the entire time. I won't say a word, but you aren't going to hide it behind flimsy lies. Now, shall we go flying, or perhaps have a cup of coffee and talk about some healthier ways to calm down instead of reaching for a bottle?"

Kara's face turned red. She nearly opened her mouth to deny his true accusations until he pointed a finger in her face.

"Don't you dare get angry with me, Kara. I have never put up with tantrums from Bruce and I won't put up with them from you. Are we going to have coffee or are we going to a bar? I'll even pay."

Kara took several deep breaths, clenching and unclenching her fists, before finally nodding her head. Her mother and father followed behind, berating themselves for almost falling for that. Kara had been so honest with Clark tonight, they had momentarily forgotten how often she lied in regards to alcohol. And she had been distraught to top it off.

"We have to do better. I almost told her it wouldn't hurt anything." Jeremiah mumbled.

"It will get better. It has gotten better. I never thought we would get this far the way she reacted to being here."

An hour and two cups of decaf later, Kara had checked on Clark who was sleeping in Alex's arms and moved to her room. Her thoughts slowed a bit and she planned to take her sedative soon and get to sleep.

Then she remembered that she had promised to call Barry.

He answered immediately.

"I was hoping you weren't going to forget about me. Have a good day?"

Kara thought of a lot of things she could say. Instead as it often did with Barry, she found herself telling him the truth.

"I had a horrible day. I had to make a huge decision this morning with my family, then took a nap, woke up, told my little brother every dirty secret the House of El had, pretty much destroyed any notion he may have held on to that his Kryptonian parents were decent people, and were genocidal maniacs. Then I nearly talked my parents into letting my go flying. I told myself I just needed some air after an emotional night but I actually planned to fly to a bar and get wasted."

"All the hell you went through and you were going to drink again? What were you thinking? Why would you want to go through that again? You told me it was hell…you are probably going to hang up on me now, aren't you?"

Kara laughed softly.

"No, I'm not. I think I have had enough of guys telling me what I want to hear…sorry. Don't want to talk about that. This isn't going well is it? Can we blame the emotional night or the medications I haven't taken?"

Barry shook his head on the other end of the line.

"Hey, don't worry about it. If there is anyone who is a master at saying the wrong thing, it's me. You can tell me whatever you want and I promise to tell you things you don't want to hear."

"Oh really? What are you going to tell me that I don't want to hear?" she teased.

"I could tell you a lot of things. I could say you… uh…I'll think of something."

"Doubtful. I am an expert at hiding my imperfections, at least until I am outed by a flying robot."

"Oh, yeah, your room. You are kind of a slob. You had clothes on your bed, I saw a pair of socks turned inside out in the corner."

Kara gasped, surprised he remembered those details. She was too drunk that night to have noticed.

"I will have you know that I am not a slob. I color coordinate my underwear in my drawer!"

This statement was followed by awkward silence on both sides.

"I really can't shut up around you, can I?" Kara finally asked.

"I have the same problem. I kind of like it. So…you want to tell me about this big decision or is it not something you wish to speak about?"

Kara thought about it and decided she had enough serious conversations for the day.

"I'll tell you tomorrow. Right now, I want to know if you have seen the Last Jedi? It's been out for three days. I plan to watch it when I get up in the morning."

"How are you going to watch it where you are?" the man asked. Surely, she wasn't going to leave the facility to visit a movie theater.

"Oh, there is a small screening room on level 5 and Bruce pulled some strings so I can watch it here.

Barry rubbed his forehead on the other end of the line.

"Of course, he did. Good old Bruce. What a great friend."


	17. Chapter 17

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 17 Change can be good**

Caitlin Snow walked the nearly deserted, dimly lit halls that characterized the Block at 3 AM. Only three nurses remained awake for what was basically a suicide watch. Since the blonde had left the hospital bed for a private room, there was very little to do in the way of monitoring, besides listening for screams and the one drug they seem to have perfected was the sedative. When Kara took the pill at its higher dosage she slept at least eight hours and did not have many nightmares, at least ones she could remember. Sure, she had tossed and turned all night, dumping Alex out of her bed, a few times but Caitlin had a theory that it had more to do with the antipsychotic or antidepressant she took at night. During her afternoon naps at a lower dosage she hardly moved.

So, the only other concern was her waking up and attempting suicide. Whether it was from the drugs, as her hallucination attempted to sway her, or from the fact that she was suicidal before she was brought here, though she would never admit it, there were protocols in place to keep her from harming herself.

Dr. Snow had not been surprised to find Eliza, Alex, Clark and Kara in the same bed, the large one in Jeremiah and Eliza's quarters. They were all a tangle of limbs, Clark in between them. As she suspected, without the other medications Kara lay still in her sleep, barely moving apart from the rise and fall of her chest.

Caitlin also had another suspicion confirmed when she walked to Jeremiah Danvers personal lab and found the man awake, staring at a computer monitor.

"Do you sleep? If I didn't know better, I would think you were Batman." Caitlin greeted him.

Jeremiah gave a small grin and motioned towards a seat next to his.

Caitlin was unsurprised to see the monitor had a view of a virtual female body, faceless and electronic in form but showing different information about the form.

At this moment, he had Kara's DNA sequence pulled up.

"Are you afraid of my daughter, Caitlin?" he asked, surprising her.

Not sure how to answer this and deciding he wasn't asking about Alex, she decided to go with honestly, and hoped it didn't hurt their new burgeoning friendship she had with the married scientists apart.

"Yes." she answered, and waited tensely for his response.

Instead of becoming upset or offended, the man just nodded, eyes still on the monitor but changing to a scan, that showed her solar energy absorption rates.

"Don't worry, I'm not surprised. The fact that you admitted it tells me how honest you are, not that I doubted it before. A lot of humans and aliens of this world are afraid of her. Kara is gentle and loving with us, can be with our friends and loves to help the innocent, especially children. Those she deems threats however, have every right to be afraid of her. Kara attacks those she decides are a threat to her loved ones with the same viciousness as a cornered wild predator would attack a hunter. You may find this hard to believe, but she is more afraid of you than you will ever fear her."

Caitlin found that hard to believe but she supposed it made sense that he would think that.

"Kara is driven by a lot of things. She has low self-esteem, seeing herself as little more than a killer at times, despite the people she has saved. She is driven by guilt, the memory of those she couldn't save, constantly in her head. She is driven by anger, anger at her birth family on Krypton, angry at her aunt who she found out was a killer bent on world domination, anger at herself for bringing danger into our lives. But her biggest motivation, the biggest emotion that drives her is fear. Fear is her constant companion. Fear of losing everything she has, again, especially us. At least it was her biggest driving force. I am hoping that changes here. I hope love will be her driving force, and maybe this is the turning point."

Caitlin really took the man in as he was talking, very tired, bloodshot eyes flipping through various details of Kara's physiology, the programs that were offline from the Block, that only him and his wife and apparently some flying robot in Antarctica had access to.

"You don't have to do the surgery. I can do it, Shay could do it. I know the idea of giving her anything frightens you. I can imagine the stress of cutting into her will be intense."

Jeremiah shook his head. "She will be awake. There is no way she would ever feel comfortable enough for anyone else to do it. One her recurring nightmares growing up was being strapped to a bed and cut open by Government scientists. If it was anyone besides me, she would have a panic attack of epic proportions and make her withdrawals seem like a fun day on the beach. Alex could never bring herself to cut into Kara. I don't like it, but it must be me. I am still trying to decide the best place to put the damn crystal." he admitted.

"Her collar bone seems safe enough, but it isn't protected as much as I like." He continued. "The back of her femur possibly but I …that is a lot of muscle to damage and after the surgery we aren't sure how well the painkillers will work. Cutting into that much muscle could take her months, maybe a year to recover. I don't want to be near her spine and I don't want any impediment to her arms and hands, so it seems the collar bone it is."

Caitlin was confused at the man's tone. He seemed almost resigned to the fact even though it was his idea in the first place.

"You are the one who decided it would be the best site, correct?" she asked, watching the man's body language. Of course, at this point, he was probably too tired to move, much less tense up or give any other indication of his true feelings.

"Yeah, I did."

"And you are placing it under her clavicle and securing it with surgical wire. It should be protected."

"From everything but her. If Kara thinks there is something only she can handle, something the world needs her for, that only she can fight, she won't hesitate to take a knife and cut it out, cut the wires and remove it. She would heal instantly when her powers returned."

Caitlin nearly recoiled from the thought, the idea making her feel nauseous.

"There is absolutely no way she could do that. Cut a hole in her shoulder and pull a crystal which has been secured to her collar bone? That's not possible." she hoped. Everyone had their limits, right?

"Would you believe it if I told you a girl could break her own fingers repeatedly? Or that she could use her own fingernails to pry apart her forearm, looking for an artery? Would you think it would be possible for someone to burn themselves to the point of third degree burns without screaming? Kara can deal with pain and if she thought her family or friends were in danger she would not hesitate to take a knife to herself."

Dr. Snow shook her head, refusing to think about that. She knew Kara had a history of self-harm, but the man must have been exaggerating. No one could do that much damage to themselves. Everyone had a limit.

But she also detected no lies in his voice. He meant it, he lived it. How much emotional trauma did Kara Danvers truly have? Of course, she knew that the girl had serious illnesses but to that degree?

Not wanting to focus on that but knowing the man would talk about nothing else except this surgery and was thinking of alternate sites he could safely put the crystal without a lengthy rehab, she turned the focus on the surgery itself.

"I think with the medication she will be on, that sort of violence and degree of self-harm wouldn't be possible. We will make sure it isn't before she leaves here. What about Eliza? Will she be assisting in the operation?"

Jeremiah shook his head.

"Ever since…ever since she found Kara after her last suicide attempt, she has anxiety attacks whenever she sees blood. She doesn't lose consciousness, but they are worse if…Kara was hit by a White Martian on television. Those are one of the few creatures in this Universe that can hit her hard enough to cause blood. They have talons that can cut her. They can't pierce her suit, but the areas not covered by the suit, more areas than I would prefer can be cut easily. I suspect she was drunk and couldn't get out of the way in time. His talon cut her cheek, not badly but enough that by the time she finally grabbed the Martian and flew it out of the city, a noticeable amount of blood had gotten onto her face. Eliza saw it in a close up on television and nearly fainted, started hyperventilating, Hamilton had to sedate her. Kara doesn't know. Jess actually referred Eliza to a psychiatrist for medication."

"You said Kara took the Martian out of the city? Was it to protect civilians?"

Jeremiah hesitated for a moment, his face cringing a bit, debating whether he should tell Caitlin the truth. Of course, she had seen Kara at her worst, so there was no reason not to.

"That was part of the reason. The biggest reason was Kara wanted to kill him. When she fights to kill, she goes to a very dark place and unleashes, holds nothing back. She can't afford to be seen fighting like that in front of cameras. When she does it, she isn't fighting a White Martian. She is fighting ghosts that she desperately wants to kill, but they won't seem to go away, ever."

Caitlin had seen Kara fighting one of those creatures on television. She knew the exact moment he was talking about. When Supergirl had grabbed the creature from behind and shot off with him, out of the city and the view of cameras, the coverage was over. She assumed like the rest of the public that Supergirl was taking the thing to some alien prison.

That was what the public wanted to believe. They wanted to see a hero battling a monster. They did not want to see a monster fighting a monster. They did not want so to see a young girl trying to kill enemies that had been long dead but still haunted her.

"What are you doing up, Caitlin? Until the surgery the drugs can't really be modified anymore, or dosages determined. You should take advantage, get some sleep and rest for the remainder of the week."

Caitlin hesitated now, considering telling the man the reason she could not sleep. He had so much worry though, bringing up her problem seemed selfish.

Jeremiah noted the hesitation and became very interested. It was obvious there was something bothering Caitlin and it had nothing to do with fearing his daughter.

"Seriously, Caitlin, I would love to have something to take my mind off this. I know you left your family and friends to help us. We don't know each other well but you can talk to me. Right now, you look like something is bothering you and you need a friend to talk to."

She took a deep breath, figuring he may be right. Maybe she shouldn't keep this secret to herself. Studying others was a strong point for Caitlin. Studying herself was not as easy.

Caitlin showed her hand to Jeremiah.

"I'm more afraid of myself than your daughter. This happened, and I don't know how to fix it, but it scares me."

Before Jeremiah's eyes, Caitlin Snow's hand turned to ice, cold enough to change the temperature in the large lab.

To her relief and his credit, the man did not panic, or show fear. Instead he leaned closer, seeming to examine her skin as closely as possible.

"Can you make it stop?"

"Not easily." Caitlin admitted, but did try and brought the cold back into herself, her hand resuming its former form.

"Does Barry know?"

She shook her head. "I don't want any of them to know, not yet. Not until I can get some semblance of control over this. Being…her makes me feel, different. I feel colder, but not physically. I feel like every time this happens, who I am is changing along with my body."

Jeremiah nodded his head. "I need to bring Eliza into this. I won't tell Alex or Kara, so they won't have to keep this from Barry. We'll need a blood sample to start. Barry will be here Saturday. The surgery is going to be Sunday, so I want her to have a day… by the time the surgery is over, and Kara can no longer hear everything, we will have the baseline data we need and begin figuring this out. We will figure this out."

Caitlin was surprised, that being the last thing she expected.

"You would help me?"

The man looked at her, surprised.

"Even if you hadn't walked away from your life to help my daughter, I would help you, Caitlin. I know how hard it can be on a person to be different, to have powers that scare them. I've seen what it can do to a girl. We will help you. My wife and I will figure this out with you. If we can't get rid of this, we can help you control it, so it doesn't control you. First things first, tell me how this happened."

Caitlin shook off her surprise and felt like a weight had been lifted. Perhaps she couldn't be fixed but she wouldn't have to deal with this alone, or worse, ask her mother for help.

"I have no idea how this happened. I was taken to Earth 2 for a while and was present when my doppelganger was killed, I was…maybe it was always there. I don't really know the reason it happened. I suppose it was after Zoom was defeated, the I began noticing streaks of white in my hair. I would wake up and my room would have melting ice all over the place. Then I became angry and my hand turned to…what you saw."

Caitlin continued with the story, having Jeremiah's complete attention. By the time she finished the man nodded his head.

"When Kara first arrived on this planet, her heat vision first appeared when she was frightened by a bear. The more frightened or angry she became, the hotter her heat vision burned. The emotions you have over your past, over the betrayals by those you trusted, could be a key in activating these powers. Okay, so we have a lot to figure out. Let's take a blood sample and begin."

 **The Louvre, Paris, France**

Though there were numerous sections of the Louvre closed off to the public, nothing was closed off to Bruce Wayne. He could have made an appointment, could have had an escort to provide a tour of the building, blending in and asking quietly to see the restoration areas and meet her by chance.

Instead the man went with the more direct approach. Having an element of surprise would be best in his mind, catch the woman off guard. Despite not knowing her powers, or even if she had any besides aging incredibly well, Bruce figured seeing her at work would lessen the chance of an attack. If she was hostile, it would be a simple matter to leave and then suit up. Meeting the head curator who scurried when he found out that Bruce Wayne had arrived, Batman made his move.

"I would like to speak to Diana Prince, privately, if that would be no problem."

"Of course, Monsieur Wayne. I will escort you…"

"Just point the way, if you please."

After getting directions, something desperately needed without Alfred telling him how to navigate the labyrinth that was the largest museum in the world, he found himself in an open area, of large sculptures, being meticulously worked on. Restored would not be the correct term, more of maintenance since the pieces seemed in incredible shape, considering what must have been thousands of years of aging.

He wondered how many years the woman he was watching in the white dress had accumulated.

"Diana Prince?"

The beautiful woman looked down at him from the steps she was standing on and smiled.

"Yes, I am Diana. How can I help you? Visitors are not often allowed in this area of the museum."

"Yes, I understand that. I suppose you could say that I am friends with people who have friends. It is important that I talk to you, alone. Would you have a few minutes?"

The woman smiled wider, perfect white teeth glistening and eyes squinting.

"Of course. Follow me."

Bruce followed her for what must have been two minutes, down increasingly empty hallways. He was beginning to rethink his belief that she would not attack him at her place of work, and wished he had brought more weapons. The bodysuit of Kryptonian material he wore under his suit should protect him from most anything, giving him an advantage in a fight, and time to counterstrike.

It also did not escape his attention that she either did not know him and yet had not asked his name, or that she knew exactly who Bruce Wayne was and showed no surprise that he had shown up, unannounced, wishing to speak to her.

This had Batman on high alert. It had already been a long night before, finding out that Lobo had completed his contract and turned Darhk over to the police, only to take the man from the police and kill him. Now he could be walking into a trap with an unknown metahuman.

It was worth the risk. With Kara gone from the picture, an organized team of special individuals to fill the void she would leave in the world was more essential than ever. If this woman was an enemy, she needed to be dealt with. If she was a potential ally, he had to make contact and determine if she could be an asset.

By the time, they had reached her rather large office filled with antiques behind her and bare concrete walls on either side of him, there was no doubt that this area was very deserted. Kara could fight a White Martian in this office and no one would be the wiser.

Instead of taking a seat, Diana leaned back against her desk, her hands on the edges, eyes never leaving the man.

"So, what can I do for the richest man in the world?" she asked.

Bruce grinned a bit. She hadn't played her hand upstairs but knew exactly who he was. He supposed after at least a hundred years, it would be hard to break her facade of calm.

The man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a photo.

"I found a very old photograph, I believe it is from the Great War. I was wondering if you would look at it and tell me exactly what this woman's interest in Kara Danvers is?"

He handed her the photo and for the first time, her face showed something other than amusement. Bruce was good at reading people and he could read surprise, hurt, a deep sadness in her eyes.

Then her eyes hardened, and she placed the photo on the desk behind her.

"I would need more information before I can answer that. What exactly is your interest in this Kara Danvers you speak of? A new paramour? I suspect if the stories are true, you go through them often. Why would a man of your stature be interested in her?"

Bruce had not expected that. He suspected she would make a comment about the woman's likeness to herself, perhaps pass her off as a distant relative. She showed no inclination to doing either.

"I am friends with her family. Her family and I are concerned that a woman who does not age, took an interest in her while she was in college. I want to know why. Who are you? Who are you really?"

Bruce did not have time to gauge her reaction. He had time for nothing, barely even seeing the blur, but feeling the hand on his throat lifting him up and pressing him to the concrete wall, off his feet.

"I have no interest in your concern and you do not have friends, Batman. I know the blonde in a cape flying around the United States is not Kara Danvers, so I have my own questions. The most important one is what did you do to her. More will follow including the identity of the impostor."

Bruce hit the ground hard, and jumped to his feet, nearly immediately, despite having his wind knocked out and trying to regain breath, now that his throat was no longer being squeezed. The man tried to raise his hands in a defensible stance.

Instead he found his entire torso wrapped in a glowing rope that was very warm, bordering on uncomfortable. The rope was held by the woman he had come to visit, who was no longer smiling, her face set in stone and too calm for the situation. She knew he was Batman and had not one look of concern on her face. She seemed to put together, telling Batman that she was much more powerful than he suspected, and he would not put up a challenge to her.

"So, you do have skills, besides aging well. Are you a Kryptonian?"

Diana did not answer, watching him carefully and not surprised to see an almost excited look on his face. She knew that he wouldn't be intimidated, judging by the company he kept.

"What I am in not your chief concern right now. You will tell me what you have done with Supergirl. Is she dead?"

Bruce thought about asking her another question instead of answering, but as he thought of what to ask, the rope grew hotter. If not for Kara's Kryptonian material, he would probably be burned and wondered how long even that material could stand up to whatever this thing was. He had an idea it was magical in nature and he knew that when it came to magic, all bets were off, even in Kara's case. The two had found that out the hard way in the past on a case.

"Where Kara Danvers is…I won't tell you, not unless you convince me you aren't a …damn it! What is this thing?" he asked, starting to let a bit of the pain he was feeling in his voice.

Bruce and Kara spent a weekend working on a new weapons upgrade for the Batmobile as she insisted it be called. During that weekend she had sung every Mama Mia song over seven times. He thought after that he would be immune to pain. He was wrong.

"Do not bother trying to lie. It will only hurt worse. You will tell me the truth. Do not try and resist."

Despite his brain desperately trying to come up with solutions out of this rope, he found himself speaking regardless.

"She is not dead." he told her, voice breaking from the strain.

"Where is she?"

Doing his best to keep his mouth closed, it opened regardless.

"In an underground facility in Kentucky."

Deciding there was no way out, his best bet would be not to resist. Answer her questions. Diana Prince could not keep him tied in the underground section of the Louvre forever. Too many people had seen him walk in, knew he was here and who he was here to see. She couldn't kill him, and she couldn't keep him. Perhaps if he did not resist, once he was free, he would at least have a chance to fight, perhaps reach the small box in his coat pocket that carried a Kryptonite ring in it, in case she was Kryptonian. If she was not, he had no idea what to do with her.

"Was it you who placed her there?"

"Yes."

"You took her prisoner?" the woman asked, her eyes growing colder. He saw that look in Kara's eyes many times in battle. It was the look of a woman who had killed before and was close to doing it again. He now reevaluated his belief that she would not kill him here.

"Yes…no…not…its complicated."

Diana pulled Bruce closer to her, the rope tightening.

"I would suggest you make it uncomplicated."

Bruce gritted his teeth and flexed, trying anything to loosen the rope, to give him a chance at taking her down somehow. The man had a suspicion that taking her down would be as impossible as taking Kara down while fully powered.

"Do not resist." she told him calmly. "Why did you take Kara prisoner?"

"Rehab!" Bruce shouted. Whatever power this rope had was nearly breaking his willpower, not something easy to do. "She was dying, killing herself, wouldn't stop drinking. Her family could not get her to agree to go into treatment, so they asked me to bring her. I took her to a secure facility and she went through withdrawals. She is still there, under her own free will now and being treated."

Bruce felt the rope loosen and release him, being wrapped in a coil in her hand and no longer glowing, now resembling a simple golden colored lasso. Diana motioned towards a chair to the side of the desk and walked around to hers. It didn't escape his attention that she looked very …sad? Resigned? No, she looked like someone who had her fears confirmed.

"I think I would rather you had imprisoned her. At least I could have gotten her out." Diana whispered.

"Who are you?" Bruce asked, trying to take control of this conversation, since she now knew more about him and Kara than he knew about her. This had not gone the way he expected.

Of course, being wrapped in a glowing lie detector by a woman with super strength and speed was not something he had planned for. The strength and speed, yes, he knew it was a possibility. The supernatural lie detector was admittedly a surprise.

"My name is Diana Prince. You already know that. Thank you for saving me a trip. I had a flight scheduled tonight to visit Gotham City. If anyone would know why there was an impostor of Supergirl in the world, it would be you. When you disappeared for the past ten days, I suspected you were involved in her disappearance."

Bruce leaned back in his chair to give the appearance of relaxation. Until he knew more he would not relax, but the way the woman sat now, showed him no hostility. Instead he saw concern.

"How did you know…"

"Do not ask that. As you know, I have become very good over the last century at hiding my true nature. Discovering other's true nature is not difficult if one knows what to look for. You said she was killing herself? In what way? Only alcohol? What sort of alcohol could harm a girl like her?"

Bruce, debated not telling her. He saw benefit in the truth, perhaps getting her to open up more. He also saw no reason to discuss Kara's personal life, more than was already forced from him.

"I won't answer that question. It isn't your business." he told her, prepared to move at a moment's notice if she showed any inclination to reaching for the rope that now lay on her desk.

"How were you able to capture her?"

The man smirked, knowing this was a test. She wanted to know if he was really a friend of Kara's or lying to her.

"I won't tell you her weaknesses. Your lie detector can do all the damage it wants, burn me to nothing but I will never betray that secret."

Diana nodded, seeming satisfied with the sincerity in his voice if nothing else.

"The impostor is another alien I would guess. Whoever he or she is, is doing a poor job of imitating her mannerisms. Will she live?"

"Yes." Bruce told her. "If you want any more information, I am afraid you will have to be so kind as to answer my questions. You were discovered by Lex Luthor. I found this photo on his server and deleted it. Any information he had on you in digital form is gone. I cannot say the same for information in his head. He is interested in you, in others. Are you Kryptonian?"

Diana shook her head. "No, I am a god and an Amazon. Demigod, but still a god regardless. Lex Luthor is no worry for me. Unlike you, Batman, when I fight a war, I end it decisively. Kara and I have that in common. I was raised to be a warrior, and in war, either enemies die, or you do. That is something you seem to not understand. That is the reason you fight the same enemies over and over again."

Bruce watched her carefully. She was talking to him, but it was obvious her mind was on other things. She called herself a demigod? What type of metahuman was this? She also apparently shared Kara's views on dealing with enemies.

"You could have called me or had an anonymous source warn me of this danger you think Lex Luthor poses. Instead you visited me personally, knowing that if I knew who Supergirl was, it would likely expose you as well. You never planned to keep your identity a secret as you knew I had secrets of my own. Why? Why take the risk to see me?"

"I…"

"You need me." Diana realized, before Bruce could say the worlds. "She isn't coming back, is she?"

The man shook his head.

"No, she isn't. As far as needing you, the world needs you. I am forming a team of special individuals who can make a difference, be stronger together than apart. The world will need defenders, those who can step into the void that will be left from Supergirl's absence. You could be a part of that, a symbol of hope, the one the world needs to…"

Diana laughed, her suspicions about the man's visit correct.

"You think I have stayed in the shadows for over one hundred years, so I can step out now because you asked? The world does not need a symbol. Mankind will live or die by their own choices. When has the behavior, the hope of the world become a young girl? If mankind cannot keep from destroying itself because they no longer have a Kryptonian putting out their fires, cleaning up their messes while governments plot to kill her, perhaps mankind will get what it deserves. You may be fighting a personal war, Bruce Wayne, but I have fought my war already. I fought in the Great War and the things I saw, the acts man committed against each other, I saw the darkness and the love in each of them…I thought they would learn from the war, put an end to the violence. Instead I saw the rise of the Nazis, the Holocaust, Vietnam, Korea, the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War, the ongoing war against terror which will never end. Mankind commits these acts against themselves with no outside influence. They never deserved her. If you want a symbol of hope, there are other metahumans to recruit. I lost my idealism long ago."

"And yet you placed yourself in a position to get to know her. Why? You wanted to know if she was a threat, correct?"

Diana shook her head. "I wanted to know how much of a threat the world would pose to her. Judging from where she currently is, it appears mankind finally broke her. I think we are done, Mr. Wayne. I have work to do. If she needs me, do not hesitate to ask. Do not ask me to become involved in the problems of this world because you feel you need allies to fight by your side. As I said, my war is over, and I believe our methods of fighting battles would be in direct conflict regardless."

The woman stood up from her desk, apparently telling Bruce that the time for him to leave had come.

A god?

"Kara told me when we first met, that we could not stop all the evil in the world, but we couldn't stop trying. Why did you stop?"

Diana did not smile, nor did the question seem to sway her.

"I met two sisters in college who should have had the entire world in front of them. Instead they decided to save it. One of them became a government agent and a vigilante and the other is an alcoholic in an underground rehab facility. You tell me, Bruce Wayne, while you were trying to save the world how did you fail the ones at your side so badly? You encouraged her and where is she now? Have a safe trip back to Gotham City."

When Bruce reached the door, he stopped and turned back to her.

"The man standing next to you in the photo? Who was he? He was a soldier, correct? Do you think he would want this world to have a symbol of hope?"

Diana's beautiful face hardened.

"Go down the hallway, take the first right. Go upstairs and make the first left. Walk the length of the hall and you should see workers milling about. They can direct you the rest of the way out. Good day Batman. I doubt we will see each other again."

 **The Block**

Kara woke up from a restful slumber and immediately remembered it would be the last she had today. No sedatives would be given today, no afternoon nap. Tomorrow her life changed forever. Tomorrow she would become as close to human as she had ever been. Her life would be normal. She would have to use sunblock when on the beach, have to eat or faint. She would get stomach aches, colds, the flu possibly.

She couldn't drink any longer and become instantly sober if she took off her bracelet, she couldn't drink with her powers.

She couldn't drink. She would no longer be able to relax, no longer feel the familiar buzz of energy that brought her out of her alcohol induced haze, allowing her to fight, to feel alive in a way nothing else had ever made her feel.

She was an addict. She would be taking antipsychotics, antidepressants, sleeping pills, for the rest of her natural life.

She would no longer see disaster on large scales, but she would also no longer see the relief, the gratitude of the ones she saved. The one joy she still had out of life, was rescuing those in need. How would she feel the first time she saw death on the news, death she could have stopped or lessened? Kara could not hide from the world forever. The blonde knew she would eventually have to come to terms with her decision and its effect on the world.

She also had no real choice. Kara had told Alex once during a therapy session that if it came down to her sister or the world, it would always be her sister. Her family came first to Kara, always would come first. This was the best way to make them happy, keep them away from the dangerous world they insisted on being a part of.

Kara also knew it would be a relief. A part of her, a large part of her, wanted Supergirl to die.

But what about the friends she had? What about Nyssa, Bruce?

What would Barry really think about her quitting?

Family came first. It was her mantra since she became a part of the Danvers and always would. She recognized she needed to stop drinking, needed to be medicated and her family needed her alive. For that to happen, Supergirl had to die.

Rolling over, Streaking becoming unwrapped from her hair, wondering if it was Clark or Alex in her bed, she found the latter, sitting up with a big grin on her face.

"Good morning. Time to get up and make yourself beautiful. You have a play date today. Your best buddy is coming over, remember? I am so excited! You two are like a Disney sitcom. I plan to record everything so keep that in mind when you two are smooching." Alex teased her.

"I don't think my breath is up to kissing. Besides, friends, remember? I can be his friend. Anything else and he may as well book a room in this place."

Kara sat up in bed and looked at the clock on the wall. She had two hours before the man had said he would arrive. Kara had told him yesterday over the phone what her decision had been. To his credit he didn't sound surprised, but Kara knew he had to be feeling some shock.

Or had he always known that she wouldn't be back since she entered this hole in the ground?

"Stop it. One day without the antidepressants that haven't even had time to build up and you are Debbie Downer again. Get up, and get dressed. You have to eat breakfast."

Before Kara could complain, Alex's finger was on her mouth.

"Don't want to hear it. You need food. The local anesthetic you will be given should numb your upper torso, but the pain pills afterward might be tricky. You need food today to be strong because you can't eat after midnight. Now eat. You are going to be human. No more month-long fasts."

Kara did as directed, dressing casually in short denim cutoffs and a t shirt. Her Dad looked at her and those shorts for a moment, then looking back at his breakfast. At 24, Kara still sought her Dad's approval of dress, sadly, at least when he was present. She should be past that.

But like a true millennial she was planning to move back in with her parents with no immediate employment and no plans to move out, even if employed. After the surgery the restoration project would begin in earnest. The blonde wanted to do this without her powers, use her skills. She had done this before, in fact enjoyed working on the bikes without her powers. Here she had the tools she needed like a frame straightening jig and if she sold it and got perhaps a million to a million two, she could change the shed on the side of the house into an actual garage and workshop. Her father had always wanted a bigger garage, so they would both be happy, and Kara could have the tools needed to restore and repair for others.

She would be able to make that which was broken whole again. Like she had done with Streaky, her first bike, Alex's bike. Her hobby had always originated from a deep need to fix what was broken, since she could never seem to fix herself. If she saw a beach with trash on it, she drew the beach without trash. If she saw a forest with trees cut, she made the forest beautiful on paper or canvas, trees whole.

Now she would spend the rest of her life trying to repair herself, a job that may never be finished.

Two hours later, punctual as always when Kara was involved, a very sore Barry Allen arrived in the isolated wild of Kentucky, standing in front of a cabin, where Kara waited for him outside. The Flash did his best to not appear sore, as he really did not want to discuss the training he was undergoing. If she asked he would tell her but would offer nothing. She had other things to worry about.

He did his best not to stare at her legs, keeping his eyes locked on hers, no matter how much he wanted to drink her in.

Kara needed a friend.

She just needed a friend.

"Hi." he offered.

"You came." she said, not sounding surprised, but…he couldn't tell. Had she expected him not to?

"Of course. Did you think there was a chance I wouldn't?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "To be honest I never know what to expect in my life. I am glad to see you."

"Same here. Do I get to go into the secret base today or are we going to hang out here? I'm good either way."

Kara grinned and walked closer, pulling his mask off herself, gently.

"There are two things I would like to do before I give this up forever."

Barry looked at her closely.

"You are talking about your powers and not me…right buddy?"

"Yeah, I'm not talking about you. Stand on my feet and put your arms around my waist. Hold me tight."

Barry did as instructed with no hesitation, for the first time in six years, feeling her very firm waist. Though he was taller than her to begin with and more so on her feet, she was still able to wrap her arms around his chest, pulling him close to her.

"Close your eyes. and don't open until I tell you to." she told him.

He did so immediately, just enjoying the feel of her in his arms. She looked so much better than last time he had seen her. Maybe it was her eyes. While a bit cloudy, probably the effects of the medication, they were no longer bloodshot. She seemed much more relaxed but considering the medication she said she was on, that was to be expected.

"Open your eyes and don't panic. Hold on to me tightly. I won't let you go."

Barry did so and nearly gasped, He could see miles and miles of forest from above. Looking down quickly, he saw they were high, very high. The cabin below was a small spec.

"Wow." the man whispered quietly.

"I used to hate flying when I was just learning how. It was a reminder of how different I was. When I practiced, I couldn't turn, I couldn't stop without hitting something, I knocked over whatever I hit. But as I got better, it became the one power that I genuinely enjoyed. There were many times, it was only in the air, that I felt peace. When I flew in space, it wasn't very fun, but the view could not be beat."

"Why don't you like flying in space?"

"Because I need air. All living things do. There is no air in space. The only reason I can survive is my cells refuse to die. I experience cellular death and immediate regeneration at an incredibly fast rate because of the yellow sun. So basically, in space I am dying and being reborn repeatedly, suffocating but living regardless. It is a never-ending cycle of life and death while I am there. Not being able to breathe and not being able to die, I can't imagine a worse hell to live in forever. It is necessary to get to locations around the world quickly though. But here and slightly above the cloud line, it is so peaceful. I would take you higher, but it can get uncomfortably cold."

Barry fought back a shiver at her description of space, never really thinking about the reality of it.

"Thanks, but I think my suit can keep me warm. I would like to see it, if it's okay with you."

Kara nodded and the two slowly lifted higher, gaining speed as they rose. Soon Barry noted the white haze around them and a few seconds later, the two stood in the air above the clouds, holding each other very closely.

"Close your eyes and listen. You can't hear anything but the wind blowing." Kara told him and closed her eyes. Barry continued to stare at her for a moment then let his eyes close as well.

She was right, it was perfectly silent. So silent he could swear he heard her heartbeat.

"I didn't always have nightmares. I had dreams over the years, dreams of taking you from Central City and flying you into the sky, just so I could share the moment with you. When Alex and I fly we are usually going to a fight or coming back from one. It would have been nice to share the…to share this with, not for some fight but just to enjoy it. I used to come up here and stand over the clouds for hours, just to get away."

"Why did you stop?" Barry asked. The small smile on Kara's face dropped into one of resignation.

"Because there are no bars above the clouds." she admitted. "I never could bring myself to drink here. It somehow seemed to sacred of a place for that."

Barry looked around and could understand. This was what he could only describe as ultimate peace, what the artist have imagined Heaven to be over the centuries, almost as if angels beside the one holding him above the Earth would be sitting on top of them. Kara was no angel, he knew that. She was conflicted, struggling with the darkness inside her, half angel and have devil, light and dark, peace and fury all struggling in the same body for control. But at this moment she was closer to an angel than any art had ever created. Her pink and white sneakers, short denim shorts and a NCU t shirt, hair in a ponytail, standing over the world with him in her arms.

"We should go down. I am sure your legs are tired from standing on my feet and if I hold you much tighter you are going to have bruises over your back."

"I can take it. You said there were two things you wanted to do. What was the other?"

Kara's cheeks blushed, something that he found cute and surprised her, thinking she was incapable of such a thing any longer.

"I'm going to need a little help. I can't exactly stand up no my toes with you on them. I want to kiss you. I've been waiting for a long time, I never thought I would have the chance again. Friends kiss each other, right? I'm not asking you for anything like a commitment, I just wanted…"

The beginnings of Kara's ramblings were stopped when she felt Barry's lips on hers, and like six years ago, became lost in them again. She wasn't sure how long it lasted, seconds, minutes, hours, but it wasn't long enough. She eventually had to pull back, to see his reaction, to see his eyes.

"How can the girl of steel have such soft lips?' he whispered.

"I guess I've never been as strong as I am supposed to be. Thank you, Barry."

The man shook his head. "Never thank me for that."

Kara looked around, trying to clear her head. She had dreamed of flying with Barry, that was not a lie. She had dreamed of kissing him above the clouds. There was one other thing that she had dream of occasionally.

"Do you like roller coasters?" Kara asked suddenly.

Barry was surprised by the turn in conversation, but Kara always did surprise him.

"Yeah, I have been known to ride them. Not since I was a teenager, but I enjoyed them."

"Would you trust a mentally ill, alcoholic and drug addict with your life?" she continued.

"No." he answered immediately. "But I trust you with my life."

A mischievous grin spread across her face.

"Good." she told him simply.

Barry felt a slight jolt. If he hadn't been a speedster, he never would have seen what was going on. He wouldn't have seen Kara twisting him, twirling him with her hands, onto her back. He wrapped his arms from behind around her chest and she gripped his arms. Wrapping the back of her legs, intertwining them with his, she told him to hold on.

Within seconds, seconds in which Barry's stomach was left behind, the two were soaring down, straightening out before they reached the treetops.

The man's eyes lit up, used to moving at this speed and more but never seeing the world from this point of view. They were moving at incredible speeds over the forest and his eyes took in everything, the wildlife below, deer standing still, too shocked to even move from the large bird swooping from above. She dropped into the forest, weaving in and out of trees then flew straight up, twisting her body to always keep Barry on top of her and continued racing over the green canopy.

The two finally landed, and Barry would have fallen to the ground, if Kara wasn't holding him up.

"Take a second to get your bearings. Alex doesn't like to fly with me like that. She prefers to be in her jet when barrel rolls are performed. You okay? I didn't scare you, did I?"

Barry's feet touched the ground, and he quickly shook off the feeling of weightlessness.

"I'm not that easy to scare. So, there is something I have always wanted to do. You up for it?"

Kara crossed her arms and grinned. "You can top that?"

Barry shook his head. "Probably not. I think you will like this though. You are fast, but I think you need to feel real speed."

Kara was in his arms, held bridal style and moving through the trees. She smiled as he carried her, not having the heart to tell him she was this fast as well. Until tomorrow anyway.

As they continued to run, she noted the grin on his face, as if he were reading her mind.

"Like I said, time to show you real speed. Hold on tight, Kara Danvers."

Kara's eyes did widen as he stepped it up a notch and the speed increased quite a bit. She heard a sonic boom echoing in the forest, then they broke through the trees into flat land and a large lake. Barry never stopped moving, gliding over the lake and moving faster. He turned, running up a tree and holding her tightly, moving sideways from tree to tree around the clearing, then moving into the large limbs higher up, moving from one to the other with ease, no matter the distance. Once they reached the ground, he moved faster, nearly to the point that even Kara's eyesight had difficulty keeping track of the world around her.

Finally skidding to a stop in front of the cabin, he sat her gently on the ground.

"That was so cool!" she shouted, then smelt it. Her shirt was on fire.

The two patted out the fire before Kara's shirt completely burnt off. Once it was extinguished, they heard a throat clearing, realizing Eliza was standing with Alex, both with large smiles on their faces.

"I heard you two were having a play date so brought you a change of clothes in case you got dirty, or ran fast enough that the friction would burn your clothes." Eliza told her, handing her a new t shirt.

"Thanks Mom." the blonde told her, blushing for the second time today. Eliza laughed and shook Barry's hand.

"It's nice to see you gain, Barry. Thank you so much for coming. Kara, you smell like smoke. Why don't you take a shower and Barry and I will meet you in the dining room for lunch? Caitlin is very excited to see you, Barry."

The man nodded his head, suspecting that. He was anxious to see her as well. He also noted that Eliza was subtly telling him she wanted to speak to him alone and he knew why.

"C'mon little sis, your play pal will meet you soon. You're not roses. Burnt cotton isn't a good smell for you."

Kara looked between Barry and Eliza. Her Mom was smiling, and he pulled his mask off and winked at her. She supposed it would be fine.

Once the two were down below, Eliza gave it a few minutes, hoping by speaking quietly while she was in the shower then deciding it wasn't worth the risk for Clark to hear, she pulled out two sheets of paper on top of tablets and handed one to him. Barry read hers.

"Thank you for telling Connolly about this red ring. Lobo isn't answering but we will find out about this."

"I'm worried. From what little he told me, this thing is attracted to rage." he wrote back.

"She won't be fighting anymore. The meds will help calm her. She will be safe. I'm not letting some space power ring attack her. I may hunt down Lobo myself. Jeremiah mentioned Lobo also told him about someone called a Red I am sure is involved. She doesn't need to worry about it. She is done, no more fighting. Thank you for the information and for being here."

Barry nodded and took the sheet from Eliza. Along with his he rubbed the two sheets together between his hands at super speed, disintegrating the paper into ash in less than a second.

"So," Eliza spoke aloud. "I've been with Kara above the clouds before. Its beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, the silence, the sunlight, the clouds…"

'The look on her face." Eliza finished. "That is a look of complete peace and it is so beautiful on her. It's a look I want to keep on her. I think you will be a big part of that. I hope you are hungry."

"I am always hungry." he told her and followed to the elevator. On the way down, Eliza asked him how he liked Jessica. Apparently, Clark had listened in on his request.

"I…like her. I've never really been one to talk about my feelings and…stuff. But as uncomfortable as I was at first, it has been nice."

"That's good. So good flight, huh?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, it was amazing."

"Did you kiss her?"

Barry paused, not knowing what to say.

Eliza grinned. "So yes then?"

"We are just…I am trying to be a good friend and…"

Eliza laughed at his awkwardness.

"That's a definite yes. Don't worry, Barry. Friends kiss right? No big deal. I kiss all my friends."

"You do?" he asked, shocked then feeling a bit put out when she laughed again.

"Don't listen to what others say about her, Barry. They don't know her. She isn't perfect, none of my children are. Clark is way too nosy for his own good, Alex is focused on everything and everyone but herself and Kara is Kara. But they are all wonderful. The world may fear my daughter, but she is just a girl wanting to be loved. If she is surrounded by love, she will begin to love herself. That is my hope. Have patience. She will tell you not to wait for her, that she doesn't want to hold you back. Until these medications are perfected she will be moody, depressed at times, sluggish at others, possibly feel and act like a zombie until we get it right. But you will wait, and you will be there. You look at her like Jeremiah looked at me when we first met."

Barry smiled, thinking maybe he was the only one who had fallen for someone so fast after such a brief time and carried that torch for years.

"He still looks at you like that, right?"

"He better." the woman told him and walked out of the elevator. Caitlin was standing in front of the door and rushed him, wrapping him tightly in a hug that he returned.

"It's good to see you." she whispered.

"I missed you, too. We have a lot to catch up on, but I will be here more."

That surprised Dr. Snow.

"What about protecting Central City?"

Barry shook his head. "Prioritizing is something I am having to learn. They do have a police department I work for. I will be there if I am needed but it better be something extremely dangerous. Otherwise I am working on some other stuff, stuff for work, attending some training classes. Anyway, thanks for doing this, Caitlin."

"She means a lot to you, Barry. Of course, I would be here. Even if she didn't…I couldn't turn this down. It hasn't been easy but…I guess hearing and learning what I have learned, I kind of understand her better. She really is special, she just forgot that long ago."

The two super powered individuals sat next to each other at the large lunch gathering. Barry noted Clark was quieter than usual, barely talking and receiving concerned looks from all his family. He knew that Kara had told him everything and it wasn't good. The man made it a point to talk to him later.

He did have the opportunity. After screening the Last Jedi in the very impressive home theater that Bruce had built, and listening to Kara become a bit angry at the way Luke Skywalker was portrayed, Kara and he retired to her room where they began X Box multiplayer campaigns against Alex and Clark in Alex's room.

At ten PM, it was decided by Shay that any residual traces of medicine had been burned out of her system and red sun lights were turned on, so a very mild sedative could be administered. The final scan of her liver came back perfect and as far as the family and doctors were concerned, the blonde was in perfect health, ready to enter her non-super powered life.

Before taking the sedative, Kara thanked him for coming and asked that he say goodbye before he left in the morning.

"I'm not leaving. I won't go back until Monday. I will be here when you wake up. I'm going to be here all day and night. I won't leave you." he told her.

"Thank you." Kara offered gratefully, holding his hand as she drifted off to sleep, the cat jumping on the bed and laying on her flowing hair. Barry wondered if Kara realized how much of a problem this would be when she no longer had her powers and her hair could be pulled out.

Walking to find the bedroom Alex had set up for him and passing her as she moved towards Kara's room, he spied Clark's door opened, and the familiar bright lights of a video game being played. He knocked on the door gently and walked in.

Taking a seat next to the boy on the floor, he watched him guide Mario through several big skilled maneuvers on the video game track.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Nope." the boy answered.

"Want to try and beat me? I have never lost a Mario Cart race. Speed is my thing, remember? I'm kind of the master at it."

Clark rolled his eyes but did restart the game, tossing a controller at Barry. They didn't talk about anything important that night, but by three AM, the boy was laughing enough that Barry thought it would be an appropriate time to talk him into sleep. He woke up the next morning on Clark's floor, controller still in hand, while Clark was sprawled across the bed, still dressed and controller in his hand.

"All that's missing is the empty beer bottles and I would think you two had a hell of a night." Jeremiah said from the door. "Thanks for being with him last night, Barry. Sometimes just having fun can be more therapeutic than one would realize. Kara is going to…she has an hour before I…perform the operation. She is already up. She will be mostly awake for the surgery but won't feel anything and then given a sedative and non-narcotic pain meds afterward. Despite that she is going to be feeling a lot of pain tonight. I am glad you are here. Thank you."

Barry left the room, still trying to wake up as Jeremiah woke Clark. He moved quickly to find his room and change.

Kara for her part was feeling a lot of anxiety. The reality of her decision was here. Her life, for better or worse would never be the same. Luckily under the red light she was able to squeeze Alex's hand as tightly as possible.

"So, we are here." she told her sister.

"Yep. Have you decided between clown school and being archeologists?"

"I'm thinking I might get my pilots license." the younger sister joked. "This is scary. Are you scared? I'm scared."

Alex nodded her head. "Yeah, I am scared. But we have been scared before. We always come out on top, right? I'll be standing by your bed, surgical mask on and holding your hand. No matter what this next chapter brings, we will be in it together."

"I texted Nyssa last night through Kelex." Alex added. "I told her tomorrow would be a good time to visit if you are up for it. I know you want to see your friend."

"Yeah, I need to tell her…"

"She knows, Kara. I didn't tell her, but I think she has always known since you decided to stay here. It will be fine. Maybe I can get to know her better tomorrow. We haven't met under any circumstances where one of us was not pointing a weapon or threatening the other. Maybe that can change."

Kara recognized that look.

"You want to throw her against a wall for purposes that have nothing to do with combat, don't you?"

The brunette laughed, glad that some of that tension Kara was feeling must have been lessening, if she could joke.

"Speaking about being thrown against a wall, Barry is outside. I'll step out, so he can talk to you and be right back in, okay?"

Kara nodded. "Just don't go far."

"I never do. It's one of the many things you love about me."

With a kiss on Kara's forehead, Alex motioned for Barry to enter.

The man walked up to her, touching her hand.

"It's going to be okay." he told her.

"I'll never be the same."

"That's not always a bad thing. Change can be good. Besides, a long time ago I fell for a girl named Kara Danvers. I really liked her. Supergirl had nothing to do with it. I'll be waiting when you come back around. I'll be right here."

"That's what friends are for, right?" she asked, grinning.

"Yeah, and friends kiss too. Your mother said so."

He leaned down and kissed her gently on her lips. With a squeeze of her hand, he walked out, being replaced by Alex and her father. Both wore surgical gowns and masks.

"You ready for this, angel?" her Dad asked.

Kara nodded and smiled.

"Since the day I landed."


	18. Chapter 18

**Do not own CW or DC characters**

 **Chapter 18 Secrets revealed**

Kara woke up with fuzzy memories, broken scenes from the last few hours, or days, she wasn't sure.

The blonde remembered screen being placed in front of her chin, preventing her from seeing the rest of her body. She saw her father with a surgical mask on, his head above the screen, and Alex standing by her side, running her fingers through Kara's hair.

The girl felt the prick of a needle in her shoulder and remembered the warm feeling that flooded her upper body and then the strange feeling of paralysis, unable to feel her upper body on the right side.

Kara had spoken during this, but her words were unclear, slurred as if she had been drinking too much once again.

She remembered the feeling of an IV being placed in her left arm, just below the elbow and both her wrists strapped to the bed.

After that, nothing. Some part of her knew she had been awake but had no clear memory of what happened. Kara suspected she had been sedated as what she felt now was like what she felt when she first woke up in this place.

One other similarity was Alex sitting by her bed side, holding her hand. She recognized Clark holding her other.

"Kara? Do you know where you are?" her sister asked.

The girl nodded slightly. She once again had feeling in her upper body and felt a bit of pain and a strong desire to scratch something near her collarbone. The blonde tried to let go of Alex's hand and move hers to the affected area, only to be stopped.

"Don't scratch. You have stitches. The incision was small, but it will take a week or so before they can come out." Alex told her.

Kara blinked, trying to understand. Why didn't they just turn the red lights off? She had never had stitches.

Then she remembered.

The lights in the room were not red. She could feel the stitches. There was a pain near her shoulder where a bandage overlay stitches.

A small red crystal was under her collarbone. It was working. Kara could not feel the crystal, but knew it was there, under the bone, attached with surgical wire.

For all intents and purposes, except for DNA, she was human.

"How are you? Are you hurting?" A quiet male voice asked her, Clark. He was concerned. Kara remembered that hesitant voice in the past after she had a particularly rough fight because she hadn't snorted an alien drug. It was the tone of voice he used when he worried about her but was afraid to ask, not wanting to anger her.

Kara turned her head towards Clark and saw her mother and father behind him. Her father was smiling, and her mother had tears in her eyes but did not seem upset.

"No, I'm not hurting. I mean a little, but …I feel groggy and hungover. The stitches itch."

"You have been given a sedative. It sounds like the pain killer wore off. We are going to keep you in bed with an IV delivering the painkiller for the next 24 hours through an IV and tomorrow we will switch to pills." Jeremiah explained.

Kara thought about this and knew what that could mean.

"They aren't addictive, are they? I remember you saying they weren't."

"No, they aren't addictive. I swear. Other than soreness and itchiness do you feel any other pain? Any nausea?"

Kara thought for a moment then shook her head. She hadn't eaten for sixteen hours before the surgery and though her stomach ached a bit, she felt no nausea. Taking stock of her body, she realized she was sore all over.

"Was I awake? I remember being awake but not much else."

Jeremiah shook his head.

"The pain reliever was strong and would have made you groggy, you were awake, but we couldn't exactly understand what you were saying. It is very important for you to sleep so we will keep you sedated. It is also very important that you tell someone about any pain you might feel, no matter how small. I know you are tough, but you are going to have to put that aside for now, okay?"

Kara did her best to nod her head and looked at her mother.

"Are you okay?"

Eliza nodded quickly and laughed, though it sounded more like a sob. "You are quitting, you are going to get better. I know it. I believe it. I haven't been this okay in a very long time."

Kara smiled and closed her heavy eyelids. When she reopened them, the blonde was in a hospital room, like the one she stayed in when she was going through withdrawals. Alex was still here as well as…Barry Allen?

Barry had stayed. He told her he would she now remembered. Standing over her bed, he looked concerned but happy.

"Hey Sleepy, you doing okay?"

Kara nodded, and tried to speak, but noticed her mouth was very dry.

"Water?" she whispered. Alex had a drink for her in a second and helped her sit up slightly, avoiding her right side. Barry moved a pillow under her head as she sat up in the bed.

"So, I can beat you at arm wrestling now, right?" the man asked. Kara laughed quietly.

"I doubt it. I'm pretty strong on my own but any time you want to take up the challenge I am ready…in a month or so."

Barry thought of laughing then looked at her arms. She had not lost the muscle tone she had as Supergirl. He also may have heard Alex talking to her parents about all the times Kara trained in combat skills without her powers. The man seriously began to rethink his challenge. It wasn't long before Kara was yawning again, the IV keeping her comfortable, maybe a little too comfortable but he supposed that was Caitlin's and whoever her partner was, decision.

"I am going to go, so you can spend some time with the family. Could I come back next weekend?"

Kara nodded and closed her eyes.

"Be careful, Flash." the girl whispered. Barry leaned down and kissed her forehead but was fairly certain she was already asleep.

On his way out, he found Caitlin's lab. Her and Jeremiah were perched over a microscope, studying something very intensely, most likely something to do with Kara.

"Hey, Caitlin?" he said to catch her attention. She must have been really focused because she seemed shocked at first then smiled and walked outside her lab.

"You are leaving?"

"Yeah…are you okay? That seemed serious. Your eyebrows…"

"It had nothing to do with Kara." Caitlin quickly assured him. "It's more of a personal project Jeremiah is assisting me with. No big deal, just some side research for fun."

Barry felt he had known Caitlin long enough to know when she was lying. She was also horrible at lying.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Caitlin's smile went away, and she looked away from Barry.

"Nothing to worry about. I promise. I'll tell you all about it one day but for right now, it's kind of personal."

That wasn't a surprise. Caitlin kept many things personal, the complete opposite of Cisco.

The run back from Kentucky to National City was too quick and he felt worse every mile he moved away from her. He knew she needed time with her family without worrying about entertaining him. Barry was just glad he got to spend the time with her that he did. Now he had another mission.

Get better, faster, stronger so she could enjoy the rest of her life without worrying about the world ending.

Once he arrived at Dante's or he suppose his now, apartment, he received a text from Connolly with coordinates.

Arriving two minutes later, he found Webb and Connolly waiting for him outside a large warehouse between two very small dessert mountains.

"How is she?" Connolly asked immediately.

"It worked. She is okay." was the best answer he could think of. The man knew the obstacles that were in front of her and had no idea if she would be okay mentally or emotionally but physically she had made it through the surgery with no pain. For the rest he just had to have faith. Faith was hard to come by after the last few years. He had faith in Caitlin and Cisco. He knew he could trust Iris.

He also knew from his event therapy sessions that there may be some unresolved issues with Joe not believing in his father's innocence even after Supergirl and the proof of aliens on Earth had been confirmed. His father's death most likely brought that back and it was something he would have to work through.

"Good, put this on." Webb told him, tossing him a red suit. Barry looked at it closely.

"What is this?" he finally asked. It was a great suit, obviously made of the same material Kara and Alex wore. It was a bit heavier and had a thicker layer of padding. The mask still covered his entire head but there was a difference. The eyes were covered in some sort of very hard lenses. The material also covered his mouth.

"Uh…"

"You don't have to wear it in the street. The glasses and mouth cover are important for the training you do today. As you can see it is made of the same material as Kara's. The only difference is, like Alex's suit, it has slim padding that will protect you somewhat from the force of being shot. It takes the for e and spreads it across the suit. You are going to feel it, but it won't break any bones."

Barry laughed and checked behind him quickly.

"What are you doing?" Connolly asked.

"Looking for crossbows." the Flash mumbled, then quickly changed uniforms. He was happy and a bit surprised to find the lenses didn't impeded his vision, but the covered mouth was very distracting.

"This exercise starts now. Everyone is your enemy." The man told him.

Barry heard the shot easily. A sniper, probably on one of the summits, no doubt from one of the hills. He turned and waited for the bullet to reach him, moving in slow motion as always. Of course, the feel of the shotgun pressed against his back became hard to ignore. The bullet was close, but there was literally no time. He felt the metal, he heard the boom. Several pellets hit him, before he could spin around, and he felt the sniper bullet hit his back.

Barry hit the ground in tremendous pain.

"Owwwww."

Webb smirked at him and offered a hand, pulling a grunting Barry to his feet, reluctantly.

"You can catch bullets easily enough. But if you are focused on one thing all it takes is a barrel against your body. There is no room for you to back up and catch hundreds of small pellets. Even if you did take the time to back up and try to catch them all the sniper shot will hit you."

Barry understood. "So, I can be shot if someone gets close enough to press a gun to my back."

"Exactly." Connolly told him with a smile. "But you could do something even in that situation to not get shot at all. What is it?"

The Flash blinked and said nothing, thinking perhaps not getting that close to enemies with shotguns would be the only answer.

Connolly saw he was not going to get it. Time to start speedster tactical training.

"You can phase your hand, cut metal, cut into chests or any other body parts, right?"

"Yeah…so cut someone's arm off before they can shoot me?"

"What else can you do when you vibrate fast enough? You can phase through walls, correct?"

"Yeah…"

"Then why can't you do it standing? When you phase your hand into a heart without breaking skin you are basically vibrating at extreme speeds while standing still. So, vibrate hard enough for the bullets to go through you. We have checked every video of every fight in public you had with Zoom and a few with this Thawne character. They are always vibrating, even when standing still. When you are in a fight, never stop moving, even when standing in one place. Stop wasting time talking to your enemy. While you are talking, he is preparing to kill you."

"I…I don't know if I can do that all the time, standing in one place." he admitted. He had done it to Iris in his early superhero days to mask his features and vibrate his voice. But matching his vibrations enough to phase…of course he could have phased a hand into Zoom. He just chose not to.

"You better figure it out in the next 60 seconds. Go inside the warehouse and stand in the middle of the room." Webb instructed.

Barry zipped in, prepared for anything. All he saw were tall blank walls.

Until 40 automatic weapons came out of one wall. He turned around the room and saw 40 guns on each wall, spaced to cover the entire room.

Then he heard Webb's voice on an intercom.

"You can run away. You can leave this building. But what if you couldn't? If I were you I would start vibrating."

Without any other warning the automatic rifles fired, and Barry found himself surrounded by what must have been thousands of bullets, coming towards him. The more he focused on several, the faster the others came. Deciding this was going to hurt a lot of if he was struck, he began vibrating, matching his body with the surrounding air. Closing his eyes, he let himself go, never stopping movement but also waiting for the bullets to hit.

Instead he heard the bullets bouncing off the concrete floors. The Flash opened his eyes but did not stop vibrating, not wanting to be shot again.

The guns retreated into the walls.

Webb walked into the room. "You can stop vibrating now. Exercise is over, and we are not your enemies. When I say we are, start vibrating and stay incorporeal. We can't hurt you if we can't touch you, even if we are trying to. Never stop in a fight. Change your vibrations when you need to strike, when you are running, become solid, but while you are standing still, stay vibrating. Got it Deadpool?"

"Deadpool?"

Webb shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, the covered mouth, the red…forget it. Now, you did well but we are going to practice that a lot. You are fast, but you can make yourself untouchable. Now what about someone else?" he asked, pointing behind Barry. The Flash turned around and saw the floor open and a dummy rise. It was sturdy enough to stand on its feet.

"Exercise has now started. You are no longer trying to keep from being shot. Pretend that is Kara, Iris West, Caitlin Snow, even the long-haired slacker. Save the dummy. If it is shot, one of your friends just died."

Barry panicked, not knowing exactly what to do. He began vibrating, but as soon as Webb left the room, the guns fired again.

Standing in front of the dummy, he began circling it, doing his best to catch all the bullets he could. Unfortunately, he was vibrating and couldn't grab any of them. The dummy was torn to shreds.

"You failed. Kara is dead." Connolly's voice told him over the intercom. "Do it again, use your head."

"I can't stop all the bullets. I can't catch that many and if I am vibrating then how am I supposed to catch them?" he asked, annoyed, at his failure and being put in a position of thousands of rounds of ammo flying at him and now a dummy he was supposed to protect.

"Figure it out. You are a smart guy."

"Can I run the dummy out?"

"No, you can't. She could be stuck, chained, you can't run this time, Barry. Running isn't the answer to everything."

The Flash was becoming very angry.

"This is a no win situation!"

"Then quit! Stay the hell away from Kara. She stayed away from you to protect you. Now she is vulnerable like you were then. Now you have enemies that can use her against you. She decided to stay away for your sake. Either stay away for hers or learn how to protect her. There is no such thing as a no win situation. Do it again or leave!"

Barry looked around the room, deciding on a tactic. Could he take out all the guns before they fired? While he was running, some bullets would fire. He was surrounded. No, they were surrounded and the only way to make himself safe was to…vibrate.

Barry rushed towards the new dummy, wrapped his arms around it and began vibrating, matching his cells to the object and blurring them both. When the gunfire ended, he let up.

The dummy was whole, no bullet wounds.

He heard clapping from behind and saw the two men in black BDUs walk out.

"You used your head." Webb told him approvingly. "Connolly thought it would take you ten tries before you figured it out. I won $20. We are going to practice that every day. We are going to practice making larger objects incorporeal. Now let's go into the next room."

A doorway opened that Barry had not even seen. The walls appeared seamless yet there were machine gun nests and doors. He zipped in and nearly fell.

"Speed dampening technology. A.R.G.U.S. developed it and we stole the technology so you can figure out how to beat it." Webb explained. "But for now, we are going to use it. You must go faster. If you can match Zoom's speed without a tachyon device we might get somewhere, break the code to unlocking your true potential. But you also need muscle. You are too damn skinny. Kara may think it is attractive, but you need mass, at least some. You will lift weights in here. Your buddy in the bat ears has developed something using Dr. Snow's recipe for calorie bars and drinks to add protein and a lot more carbs to the mix. You remember Mr. Hawk, of course."

Dan Hawk walked into the room with a large smile on his face.

"I'm your new trainer, Stick. We are going to have fun. You can't use momentum to bench press. It will only get you so far." the giant told him. "If you try hard I won't tell you how much Kara can bench without her powers."

"And I am going to teach you how to really fight." Connolly added. "In here your speed won't matter. You are going to learn to be very deadly. Speedster fights annoy the hell out of me. Everyone I have seen involves a couple lightning bolts speeding through the city until one of you crashes into the other. Who the hell is chasing who? Why are you running anyway? Both of you running away? Stand and fight. If he runs off, let him. He will be back. Zoom, Thawne, they had more mass and speed, but you could have better technique. I have taught and seen Alex take out men twice her size. I've seen Kara incapacitate five trained agents without her powers. You can do the same but this running up walls, tripping each other and throwing wild punches has to stop. You lift weights three days a week, heavy and hard, slowly. Keep chugging the drinks even when you want to puke. Every day, first thing in the morning you start to learn to really fight."

"You mean kill?" Barry asked.

Connolly stepped up to him.

"You don't want to kill, I got no problem with it unless your moral high ground gets an innocent or one of my girls dead. But you need to know how to fight and more importantly end fights quickly and permanently. Kara and Alex know the exact spot to hit a person, to cause internal bleeding. That incapacitates them. They know the spot on the spine to hit or in Alex's case, shoot, to paralyze an enemy from the waist down or worse. They know every weak point and pressure point on the human body and quite a few alien bodies. Do you? Do you really know the first thing about fighting besides running around the city and throwing wild punches?"

Barry cleared his throat and stepped back, then turned away. He walked around the room, saw the weight benches, the training dummies sort of like the ones he had seen in Oliver's lair. He saw a lot of things he had no idea how to use. When it came to fighting, Barry was all about speed but sometimes when someone was faster, speed wasn't enough.

"No, I guess I don't." he finally admitted.

Webb looked at Connolly and nodded.

"Then I guess we have some work to do. You're willing though. That is what matters. Its early in the day. Start with Hawk on weight training. This afternoon we want to see this supersonic punch and give the info to Kelex, let him figure out a way to make it stronger without turning your body to dust. Nothing goes to the DEO and they know nothing of this. All data will be examined by the Fortress. Every day we work on something, controlling vibrations, vibrating solid objects through walls and floors if you know there is a floor below. We are going to test the limits of your hands, see what they can really cut through and then add to it. You are going to figure out how to throw lightning bolts quicker and we are going to find some other talents you haven't even realized you have yet. I told you when we were done with you, then you would be the best. We are going to make you faster, stronger and deadlier. A couple of skinny teenage girls went through this, asked for it, worked at it constantly and never once complained. They became warriors and you and your friends are still alive because of them. Can you do the same?"

"Yes, I can." Barry told him, no doubt in his voice but the memory of his father in being held by Zoom, while he begged Zoom not to kill the man was in front of his mind. Supergirl was gone, so was Alex for that matter as far as the world was concerned. It was up to him now to keep the world and the girl he hoped would love him one day safe. He needed to take care of the threats, so she wouldn't feel as if she had to.

He never wanted to see the pity in her eyes he saw when she realized he was the Flash and told him she was sorry for not taking out Zoom.

"Good." Director Webb said, satisfied. "After weight training we have lunch. We are going to go over what you know about Vril Drox. Hawk, he is all yours."

Barry gulped when a large hand was placed on his shoulder from behind.

"This is going to fun, Stick."

 **The Block**

Kara sat across from her nemesis or new therapist as everyone else called her. The woman did not look amused, but she hardly ever did.

"Nice sling." Thompkins started.

"I have to wear it, so I don't hurt my collarbone worse. I should be good in a couple weeks. I can start training again, at least in combat. I have fought without my powers before. I don't plan to give up now."

"Uh huh. So, in the last two days you met with a substance abuse counselor and a counselor that specialized in PTSD. How did that go?"

Kara looked away, then met the woman's eyes again, remembering her rule about looking away.

"You don't know?"

"I know what they said, and it alarmed me. The substance abuse counselor said you shrugged your shoulders a lot, rolled your eyes a few times and agreed with everything she said when you did express an opinion. She told me she thought you were an annoying teenage robot. Some reason you don't want to participate with her?"

"I don't like to talk about drinking and drugs and…anything else. All it does is remind me of what I can't have and what I still want." Kara admitted.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense. When you get out of here, are you going to ignore seeing liquor stores, bars? Because you will see them. You are going to be at restaurants and see people drinking. You will watch TV shows and see people drinking. It sucks. Everybody can but you. Yeah, your family won't but the rest of the world doesn't give a damn about your problems. Avoidance is not an acceptable technique. Deal with it. When she asks you a question, answer it, do not say what she wants to hear. The PTSD counselor. What the hell was wrong with him?"

Kara was surprised by that question. Nothing had been wrong with him as far as she knew. She may not have had the best reaction, but the man was a professional. She had no doubt he had worse clients than her. Jessica had dealt with worse sessions.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. He was fine, a nice guy."

"You screamed at him that he didn't know the first thing about loss and how many people you had killed. Also, you said something about him being added to the list if he didn't shut up about your Kryptonian family and Astra? That ring any bells? The guy quit, probably after he changed his pants. Bruce Wayne was paying him an obscene amount of money and he quit anyway. Your Martian friend had to fly down and wipe his mind. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to him. I doubt he wants that memory."

Kara grinned at the irony. "Yeah, well you want me to be open with the substance abuse counselor but when I am open with this guy it's my fault he can't take it?"

Thompkins sat back and crossed her arms behind her head.

"Let's get something straight, Danvers. You don't scare me. You may scare other people, even without your powers that are gone forever. I understand you are quite good with a knife and you were taught by a special forces soldier how to fight and kill. You are beautiful…maybe cute would be better. You can be beautiful, and you can also turn into a beast in a split second and you know it. You can intimidate anyone you want. It's that crazy look in your eyes. Enough damn games. You don't want to play with them, you can have me all to yourself. Let's talk about your twelfth birthday. Those joyous events on Krypton, that were pretty much ignored. I guess Kryptonians had evolved past celebrations?"

"I am so tired of taking about my life there." Kara complained.

"You would rather talk about your thirteenth birthday where you attempted the most gruesome suicide I have ever heard of?"

Kara took a deep breath. "So, on my twelfth birthday, nothing happened, nothing different than any other birthday, except I was with Clark. He had his first tooth popping up and the two of us discovered the joy of frozen hard polymer on the gums. That was it. We had fun. Kelex went into a more relaxed mode and played games with us, we watched some holos about other planets, planets I hadn't been to before. Mom came by and hugged me, we had lunch, nothing unusual. I saw my Dad after I lay Clark down for the night before I went to bed myself."

"Did it hurt? Did you want more? The day off from Clark, maybe. Spend the day with your parents without being injured or sick?" Thompkins pressed.

"Clark was my only friend…damn it!" Kara cursed, reaching up to rub the bandage on her shoulder and the stitches underneath. "These damn things itch!"

Thompkins snorted. "Wait till you get diarrhea or chicken pox. You are going to love being human. So back to the subject at hand, why did you care about your birthday?"

"What?"

"Why did you care? I know you did. I can hear the bitterness. No other Kryptonians celebrated birthdays. They were supposedly more evolved than that. Why did you want more? Why did you love art, when you shouldn't have loved anything but science and law? Why after everything I have read, and you have told me about Krypton, does it seem like you were the only human on the damn planet?"

Kara stopped rubbing her shoulders and stared blankly at the woman. She had never understood it herself. The girl always felt as if she were broken, as if something had gone wrong.

"Maybe the population council screwed up. Maybe my DNA wasn't modified correctly." she tried.

"Or maybe it was." Thompkins said and stood up. "Follow me. I want answers and you are going to get them for me."

Thompkins moved, leaving behind Kara who stumbled up using one arm to push up and tried to follow quickly without falling. She followed her therapist into Shay's lab.

"I'm borrowing your computer." Leslie told the woman bluntly. "Kara get one of your magic talking earbuds and contact your robot butler."

Kara walked to Alex's room and pulled hers from the desk where Alex had hidden it unsuccessfully. Moving as quickly as she could and finding it annoyingly slow, she then saw her mother and father had entered the lab as well.

"Call your robot friend." Leslie ordered.

"Kelex, Give Dr. Thompkins what she asks for."

"I am unable to do so." a voice came from the monitor speaker. "Alex is in control of the Fortress and only she has permission to allow a new person to access any data."

"Then give it to me."

"I am unable to do so until Alex informs me that you are physically, mentally and emotionally prepared to take back control."

"Alex!" Kara yelled.

The older sister walked in a minute later, having her workout down the hall interrupted, sweaty and annoyed, still dressed in her workout clothes.

"What? I need a shower." she complained.

"You are in control of the Fortress?" Kara asked, already knowing the answer. Alex took a deep breath.

"Yeah, during your withdrawals I activated the override protocol."

Kara looked closely at her sister, trying to read her.

"That is only to be used if I am dead or…"

"Completely physically and mentally incapacitated. You were. I planned on ending the protocol when we got your meds sorted out. If you want control now you can have it." she told her, resigned and not wanting to fight.

Now everyone was looking from Alex to Kara as if it was some sort of tennis match. Kara wanted to take back control immediately. Control was everything to her, when things went crazy, as they often did in her life. Control over her secrets, control over Dick Grayson, controlling information she allowed government agencies to have, watching her enemies closely. Paranoia taught her to not leave anything to chance.

And yesterday when the PTSD counselor mentioned Astra, she threatened to kill him.

"Kelex, the Fortress is Alex's until she says differently." Kara told the robot in her ear.

"Why …why were you trying to talk to Kelex? I thought we agreed that you wouldn't ask about…"

"I asked to talk to it. Tell the thing to answer my questions or I will go to Antarctica myself and turn it into a toaster." Leslie ordered.

"Kelex, you heard her." Alex said, resigned, knowing whatever Leslie wanted to know couldn't be good. "Tell her what she wants to know."

Everyone began to move out, but Leslie stopped them. "You are all family or medical professionals, and this might impact what you are working on. I am playing a hunch here. Kelex, pull up Kara's DNA on this monitor."

The strands pulled up immediately.

"I've gone over these hundreds of times, trying to figure out what kind of immunity boosters…"

"Quiet Jeremiah." Leslie ordered. "Show me the DNA markers, the ones that were modified for predispositions."

The strands she was seeking appeared immediately.

"Which ones mark her genetic predispositions for hair growth, height, weight, things of a physical nature?"

Every strand lit up.

Jeremiah began to correct the robot, but Leslie put a hand on his chest.

"I said all. Where are the ones that disposed her inclinations towards science and law? The ones that made her more accepting of Kryptonian standards, the ones that deadened her emotions when confronted with protocol? I know Kryptonians had them. There was a council that controlled the mindset of the population using a sun god. Show them to me."

Nothing was heard for a moment, everyone, especially Kara, seemingly confused.

"I cannot do so." the robot finally said. "Kara's DNA was only modified for physical traits. No mental traits were modified."

No one said anything, Leslie confirming her suspicion about why Kara felt the way she did about the almost hive mind that Kryptonians seemed to have, one that kept the populace from warring with itself.

"Why…why didn't you tell me this before, Kelex?" Kara asked, very quietly.

"When you activated the Fortress, you forbid me from speaking of the House of El unless you asked about them directly. You never asked so I was unable to give you this information." the robot explained, his reasonable explanation making Kara want to break something.

Instead she calmed down and looked to Alex who cleared her throat.

"Kelex, could you tell me why this was? What happened?" the older sister asked.

The robot began, the usual casualness out of his voice. He sounded more robot than human now, as if reciting a story from databanks.

"Alura knew her daughter would be coming to Earth. She knew Kara would be indestructible. Therefore, she allowed her DNA to be modified for physical traits due to some issues involving the impossibility of cutting hair for example." he started.

"Alura was concerned about her daughter's safety. She knew it would be natural for a Kryptonian to attempt to contact the dominant species on a new planet and establish a rapport. Alura felt this would not go well due to her understanding of humanity's more violent traits. She wished for Kara to use her natural instincts for survival. To this end, she blackmailed a member of the modification department to falsify records pertaining to Kara's modification. If he did not do as requested, he would be sent to prison for a crime of theft. As such, Kara's DNA was never modified despite records indicating it was. Apart from the physical traits, she was to be a clean slate, one who would trust her instincts over protocol."

Jeremiah sat in a chair, trying to come to grips with this. All the times he had studied Kara's DNA, he never could isolate the physical modifications from the mental modifications. Now he knew why.

"I was nearly perfect in my exams. How is that possible? The things I learned, I did well."

"You were subjected to immersive education like all Kryptonians. You are also very intelligent naturally. Emotionally, you were more loving and free spirited, thought for yourself, expressed yourself through art. This distressed your father. Your mother did not allow your father to report this."

"She didn't allow?" Kara asked.

"She threatened to murder him and frame Jor El for the crime. Because she had proof of the planet's forthcoming destruction and could easily bend the high council to her will and bring disgrace and criminal charges against the House, including herself, he had no choice but to submit. It was impossible for him to report her threat without her reporting him for his crimes. Your survival was the only thing that mattered to her. There was no act, including breaking several laws, that would prevent her from protecting you and ensuring you lived."

"Then why didn't she tell me what was going to happen?!" the blonde screamed, setting everyone in the room on edge. Alex moved closer to her, placing a hand on her left shoulder, both for support and to control her if she became violent towards herself.

"She did not want your childhood burdened by the knowledge of the impending death of Krypton."

Kara had large tears streaming down her face and began to sob. Alex pulled her closer, whispering in her ear, gentle sounds that used to calm her little sister in storms.

"Why…why didn't she send food for me? Clothes?" the blonde finally asked.

"Alura had prepared bags for you including food, clothes and an electronic translator for communication with various dialects of humans. It was agreed between the brothers to not pack supplies into the ship until the last minute, to ensure they did not ruin before stasis. Alura had the bags packed for you in her quarters. When the last quake struck, the closet and part of her bedroom collapsed, and the bag was lost. She had no time to pack another one. Jor El reached the ship with Clark's supplies and the crystals. She could only bring you or risk your death if you stayed any longer."

No one knew what to say at that point, not even Leslie, whose mind was trying to process this new information and Shay who had been working with DNA mapping by Jeremiah and Eliza's side for nearly a month now, trying to customize drugs to affect Kara's physiology.

"Jor…Jor El said she thought I could handle it on my own, find food on my own. That I was resourceful." Kara finally said.

"Jor El was a liar. He wanted you submissive to him, so he attempted to lower your self-esteem, a common tactic for manipulating someone." Kelex told her firmly. "Your mother wished for a daughter. She wanted you and she did everything to ensure you had the best chance at life, even fighting her natural predisposition for law. She went against every instinct in her mind, in every cell of her body, threatened murder, blackmail, all so you could survive."

"Why?!"

"Because she loved you. You were the only thing that mattered to her in life, not the council, not the House of El, only you. I heard her tell your father this several times."

Kara walked out quickly, head down and sobbing, her shoulders shaking, unable to catch her breath but needing to get away. She threw the com on the ground and never stopped, turning the corner to the residence hall.

Leslie nodded her head.

"Now we can get some work done. Alex, find out if he has any other secrets that may be useful. Parents go to her. Shay, you know the genetic markers, now make the drugs work. She is going to have a lot to process tonight. I will be back tomorrow afternoon and we are going to finally get to the bottom of things." Thompkins ordered, and it was obvious that she was excited.

"Do you really think this was the best way for her to find this information out?" Eliza asked, annoyed at the woman, shocked by the revelations, and still a bit stunned.

Leslie shrugged her shoulders. "Look, I know you love her and you all, Jessica included, have done the best you can. But she is a violent, emotionally unstable addict and a junkie. Since your way hasn't exactly worked in the past, let's try it my way. No more secrets, no more hiding things for her own protection, no more babying her. Every single time we make progress it could be thrown away by something new she learns, and I would like to get everything on the table. Am I excited? You have no damn idea how excited I am. We have a chance now. Go to her, comfort her. She is going to be confused and probably not want to talk about it. Don't force her. I will handle it tomorrow."


	19. Chapter 19

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N this chapter is kind of a turning point for Kara. There will be some time jumps, not huge ones, but a couple weeks occasionally because as interesting as it is for me personally to write, reading daily therapy sessions can be a bit intense and boring for readers. Things are beginning to get better. For those who are worried about if Kara's powers are gone for good, this chapter probably gives away too much so if you don't want to know skip the first part and start in the Paris section.

But we all know you are going to read it :)

 **Chapter 19 Making Progress.**

Lex Luthor was having difficulty believing what he was hearing. He was one of the richest men in the world. He had the best human technology available, he created much of it himself. He recruited the best in their fields, at least those Bruce Wayne had not poached first. Despite all the money and expertise, he was being told that his men could not open a damn box.

Albeit, a very large box, made of an unknown metal that could not be X rayed.

He had no idea who or what was in the concrete like tomb. Nine-foot-long, six feet wide, it had crashed and sank into the Mariannes Trench from outer space. The man had gone to considerable cot and trouble to recover the object and have it brought to his lab in Metropolis with no digital trace that the blonde alien could find.

"How is it possible that this thing cannot be opened? I see the seams separating the top from the body. It's a stone of some type, but it has been opened and closed before."

"The metal does not react to any cutting technique, we have tried. It seems to have been fused by some unknown, very powerful energy source." his chief engineer told him. "No amount of pressure, no powers source…I doubt Supergirl's heat vision could cut this thing open. Perhaps whatever is inside, it would be best left on the bottom of the ocean? It could be a weapon, an alien so dangerous it needed to be contained and sent into deep space, or perhaps a source of radiation or viruses. Without knowing what is in it, opening the tomb would be irresponsible, even if we could."

Lex stared at the man who eventually looked down, intimidated by the billionaire.

"Do not talk to me about irresponsibility. I pay you very well to complete tasks given, not to lecture me on morality. You want to talk about irresponsibility? What about not using every resource we have to protect ourselves if the blonde Kryptonian goddess who has no weakness decided to turn against humanity? Yes, what is in there may be dangerous, but it could also be our salvation. That is why it is important to open it and keep whatever is in it contained, whether it be a threat or not. I don't want any more excuses. Do not call me again until this tomb is open. I would strongly suggest you not take long."

The billionaire stormed out, leaving the scientists and engineers less than optimistic. Deciding nothing could be done and to start fresh in the morning, the large holding cell was emptied and locked, lights turned off and building on lockdown.

The cameras never showed the bright red portal opening into the room because there were no cameras for fear that Supergirl could use them. From the portal, Atrocitus stepped out, along with a human male, wearing a red power ring and a suit of red and a black that matched his dark eyes and the midnight black hair on his head.

The large alien walked to the tomb and ran his hand over the top gently, almost lovingly.

"I knew this creature would be important one day, Rankorr. It is much too special to live in deep space, floating forever. A monster from Krypton's ancient past, discovered and experimented repeatedly by the House of El, each new incarnation experiencing pain, torture destroying any reason, making it the perfect mindless killing machine. Zor El was a genius. The World Killers, this monster, the Medusa Virus, he did it all. It was a waste of a brilliant mind when he went with his people. Jor El was self-centered, only concerned with his own glory. Zor El though, he was zealous in his quest to make creatures capable of protecting the planet. He was also too reckless, sadly. This was one of the results. He made a destroyer instead of a savior and sent it off for other worlds to handle. Not even Zod wanted this one."

"Please tell me you do not plan to give this thing a ring?" the human asked, a bit humored at his leader's admiration and terrified at the prospect.

"A Red that cannot learn to control the ring is of no use to me. I need some semblance of a mind wielding the weapon. You know why we are here, who we are here for. Luthor did well. He recovered our little friend secretly as I planned. None of the so-called heroes of this Earth or their militaries know he has it. The power of our rings is the only thing that can open this tomb and break its chains. Once I open it, it will walk this Earth. Then she will be ours."

Rankorr shook his head slightly and grinned, always enjoying his master's plans. What Atrocitus wanted, he always got, eventually. The current set back was only temporary. Soon the Red Lanterns would be his again, Gardener dead and the rest of the Reds falling into line.

"What if she cannot stop it? It took thirty-two Green Lanterns to hold it long enough to be chained and imprisoned. You truly think this Kryptonian can defeat the monster her father created?"

Atrocitus laughed, a deep laugh, not with evil intent but amused at how short sighted the general of his splinter group could be.

"Of course Kara Zor El cannot stop it. I have been watching her closely. She has given up her powers and had a red sun crystal planted in her body. Once she sees her friends dying while trying to battle this creature she will rip it out of her body and attack it. Kara is driven by anger, she does not like to lose. The idea of being bested sends her into a rage of which you have never seen. So much power." Atrocitus told him, almost wistfully and certainly admiring.

If Rankorr didn't know Atrocitus' sole purpose in life was revenge he might have thought his leader had a crush on the blonde Kryptonian.

"And when she realizes she cannot defeat him, even fully powered" he continued, "the ring will make its presence known. She will accept it without hesitation because Kara does not like to lose and will not lose loved ones. She is a hero and more importantly a killer. Our little friend will not be able to survive, not while she has the ring combined with her power. Nothing in this universe will ever be as strong as a Kryptonian with our ring under a yellow sun. She will burn her father's creation to nothing with her ruined blood and then she will be ours, the destroyer of worlds, under my influence and direction."

"Unless Gardener gets to her first." Rankorr pointed out. "He has Bleez as his general and she is near. I can feel her. If the four Greens are working with him and the rest of the Reds, they could take her to Ysmault and he would have another powerful member, the most powerful. She could destroy us if she regains any true sense of herself."

Atrocitus had thought of this, as usual, three steps ahead of his underlings and enemies.

"That is why I control when the creature is set loose. We will be waiting. Even in her mindless, enraged state she will follow my Battery, the maker of the rings. Gardener cannot possibly get her to Ysmault. He and his Reds and the four Greens cannot fight us and contain her at the same time. Who would be able to control her? Not one metahuman on this planet is close to her strength. I have read stories of this world. There was once a race of gods and goddesses, who were powerful, perhaps enough to try and contain her but they are all dead. There are no gods remaining to hold her long enough to keep her from following us, no heroes or Lanterns can control her. She will be ours, following my lead like a dog follows fresh meat. She will do anything for the power in my Battery. Then we burn all the sectors. We finally make our way to Oa and kill the Guardians, deliver the justice they have deserved for eons. Have faith Rankorr. All our enemies will burn and one day, perhaps we can have peace."

Rankorr looked carefully at his leader, the man he had decided to follow long ago, the one he placed his trust in to deliver vengeance. Rankorr had gotten his vengeance and wanted to burn the rest of the evil from the universe, usher in peace through a righteous rage. He believed in his leader.

"Why do you not open it now?"

Atrocitus was sorely tempted to. He couldn't though. The time was not right.

"She has too many warring emotions in her. She is suicidal, beaten, broken. Her spirit is destroyed. I do not need that. She would sooner give up and die than take a ring at this time. No, Kara Zor El must become stronger, keep her other emotions in check. We are a Corp, all of us, built on emotion. She loves but she also hates. The two emotions are closely connected. She will become strong in mind but the rage that is in our hearts never truly goes away. Once she is strong again, then will be the time. I have watched that girl since I first learned of her. She is a woman who would take a knife to herself and dig out a crystal if it meant saving her loved ones and killing her enemies who threaten them. Relax Rankorr. Our time is coming and when we unleash the ultimate weapon on the Guardians, justice will be ours."

 **Paris, France**

"I have to go."

"No, Steve, whatever it is, I can do it." she told him, desperately wanting to keep him from danger, from Ares, from every harm. She had turned him away moments before Ares revealed himself. Now he had to leave?

"No, it has to be me. It has to be me. I can save today, you can save the world." the man told her, leaving her with words of love and his grandfather's watch. She continued the fight, her heart having left, feeling desperate and at her worst, and as the iron tightened around her body, she saw the explosion and knew the only man who had ever said he loved her was gone.

"Diana?"

Her mother's voice. She turned and saw the woman who she missed with every part of her being. Her mother who made her feel safe, always so loved. The woman who tucked her under warm blankets at bedtime and always told the best stories.

"Mother." the woman whispered. "I miss you."

Hippolyta reached out and touched her daughter's cheek.

"Why did you leave?"

"I had to. I had to do something, if no one else would. I had to…"

"Fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. I know, my darling. You could not stand by while innocent lives were lost. Why have you stopped fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves?"

Diana dropped her gaze to the ground, the cobbled stones lining the roads of Themyscira.

"You were right. They do not deserve our help. I fought him and won but the price was so high. It was supposed to end, but it never did. They will not stop killing themselves. They look to the stars, to young girls for protection and fear them at the same time. They do not deserve us, Mother."

"Is that truly what you believe?" the woman asked, an indulgent smile on her face, the same one she wore when Diana tried to tell a fib, or did some other mischievous act.

"I…I don't know. I don't know what I believe in anymore. This world is horrible."

"But it's full of love too." Steve told her, now standing in her mother's place on a runway in Belgium. "Diana, you can save this world. You can show them a better way. You showed me a better way. When you crossed that battlefield, you showed me what it meant to do something simply because it was right, no matter the risk."

"I miss you, Steve." she whispered. "I wish we had more time."

"Diana? You can save the world. You can save them all. You can save her. You know she will need to be saved, you know it in your heart." he told her.

Diana did not have to ask who her was. She knew.

"I have been lost for so long. The second war, the deaths, they call it the Holocaust. It was the most horrible thing I had ever heard of. A nation cheered a madman, put him in power and willingly slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocents. The things men did…Steve, it was as if all love had gone. You were right. It was not one person to blame, not even Ares. It was all of them. Atom bombs, internment camps, gas chambers. The weapons used are not weapons, they are monstrosities. It is too late for them. It is already too late for her."

Steve caressed her cheek and smiled, his eyes sparkling, those eyes that she often got lost in from the moment she pulled him from the sea.

"It's about what you believe, Diana, remember? Do you still believe in love?"

Diana squeezed his hand. "Yes."

"Then go save the world. It's never too late."

Steve faded away and Diana reluctantly opened her eyes. She often dreamed of him, of her mother, her sisters, her home she could never return to.

And every time, she woke up alone. Not once in a century of living in the world of men had she taken another love, become close to any real friends, taken part in the events of this world. Instead she observed with a heart that was sickened by what she saw come to pass and faded into the background.

Unable to fall back asleep, she turned on her lamp and walked to the closet in her bedroom. The closet was large, a walk in stocked with many fine clothes, shoes, everything a woman in Paris could want for any occasion.

But her most valuable clothing and accessories were behind a panel in the back. Pressing the hidden release button, the wall opened slowly.

Diana stood in front of her armor, still stained by some smeared mud from the battlefields of Belgium. Her sword hung next to it, the one she had discovered by accident or fate in 1961, her shield on the other side. Clipped to the armor was her lasso and above, on a special shelf encased by glass, was the tiara given to her by her mother, the one her beloved Antiope wore in battle. It had been many decades since these weapons saw war. Her gauntlets, they still seemed to be imbedded with the lightning of the gods she had absorbed. No longer shining, having seen to much violence but the desire to put them on was strong.

She walked out and picked up the phone by the bed, calling the concierge of her building.

"Charles, this is Diana. Yes, it is early….I need a private jet arranged as soon as possible. I have business in the States. I will also be carrying an antique weapon and would prefer not to be bothered by customs any more than necessary. I will leave the papers for the sword with you on my way out. If you could call ahead and cut through any red tape I would be grateful."

Diana listened to the man tell her he could have it all arranged in two hours and what gate to appear at. Then he asked her destination.

That was the question.

"I want to arrive at Louisville International in Kentucky. Arrange a hotel for three weeks. Thank you, Charles."

Looking at herself in the mirror one last time, she shook her head.

"Damn you, Bruce Wayne."

 **The Block**

Nyssa grinned as she emerged from the woods, happy to see Kara's very attractive guard dog. This time would perhaps be different. The short haired brunette stood in front of the cabin waiting for her, dressed in her seemingly always black clothes but with her arms crossed and a grin on her face as well.

"Lovely to see you again, Alex. Shall we get the preliminaries over with?" the woman asked.

"Preliminaries?"

"This is the first time we have spoken without weapons of some sort, so I assumed verbal warnings will have to suffice. I apologize for my delay in returning. I had urgent business that needed to be taken care of."

Alex smiled and shook her head. "Urgent business, huh? So, when is this urgent business's funeral?"

"There was no funeral. Your bounty hunter friend took care of Star City's threat. I was involved in business negotiations of a sensitive sort. How is she?"

"Better." Alex told her. "She is done. She is done with it all."

Nyssa nodded her head, expecting as much. She had been expecting this since Kara decided to voluntarily stay in Bruce Wayne's prison. Though she had never come into direct conflict with Batman, they had a mutual respect for the other even, but they were not what she would call friends. Nyssa did not have many friends. She had followers and one friend.

"I am as well." the assassin told Alex, shocking the woman. "I have disbanded the League, released all oaths. Talia now has the ring of Rha's al Ghul. Those who wished to leave have left, those who wished to stay joined her. She has sworn a blood oath to never attack your family or myself. That was the agreement. Oh, I also kept all the funds the League had acquired over the centuries. I consider that an early retirement settlement."

"Why? I thought you wanted that title, you…"

"I knew your sister would be starting a new life, one without the burdens of this world. The longer I thought on it, the more appealing the idea became. I want to try something new as well. Live a life without war, violence, always carrying weapons, expecting an attack from any quarter."

Alex briefly looked over her, dressed much more casual than the fine clothes she wore when the two first met and the assassins robes she wore at their second meeting. Instead she wore blue jeans, stiletto boots under them and a simple Burgundy top, short sleeved due to the heat.

"You have a dagger attached to your left calve and I am betting those boots have a retractable blade to go along with the stiletto heels that can take an eye out."

The woman shrugged her shoulders. "If one desires to live in peace, they must be prepared to go to war at a moment's notice. A woman needs to defend herself in the violent world we live in. Regardless, is Kara allowed out to play?"

"You don't want to go inside?"

Nyssa laughed. "Trapped in Bruce Wayne's prison with no way out on my own? I said I retired, I never said I became an idiot."

Alex admitted to herself that she had a point. If she were in Nyssa's shoes there is no way she would go into the Block without an escape plan.

"Please don't give her anything to worry about. She had a rough day yesterday and has therapy she isn't looking forward to in a couple hours."

Nyssa shook her head, not surprised. The more self-reflection, the worse Kara always felt.

"I need to tell her about the League, or you can. It affects her. She should not have to worry about it any longer."

"Fine." Alex agreed grudgingly. It would do some good, perhaps let Kara feel she was not letting down her only friend. That is, if Nyssa was telling the truth. Alex felt she was good at discerning truth from lies and did not feel the woman was lying.

Kara came up with Alex a few minutes later, rushing to the former assassin and hugging her with one arm, tightly. Alex was stunned once again. She believed they were friends but had no idea that Kara had voluntarily formed a close bond with someone outside the family.

"Shhh, it will be okay." Nyssa whispered to her. "You look better already. You are safe."

Kara nodded her head and pulled from Nyssa's hold.

"I'm sorry, but I'm done." she told her quietly.

"I know. So am I. The League is over, we are safe, oaths have been exchanged. It is over. We got justice for Sara, justice for the victims of the Undertaking. We completed what we set out to do together. Now it is time to move on."

Kara was more surprised than Alex. The League had been Nyssa's life, the one thing in the world she felt passionate about after Sara was gone. She grew up in that culture, everything she knew was from Nanda Parbat.

Of course, Kara had made a new life when her world ended. Perhaps Nyssa was following her example.

"What are you going to do now?"

Nyssa looked her in the eyes, face as unmoving as stone.

"I'm considering starting a life insurance agency, see how the other half lives."

Kara couldn't hold in her laughter, shocking Alex once again who had been watching the two from the cabin.

"Listen, I think it's great, but I don't want to lose you from my life." she told her, her laughter gone and anxiety in its place.

"You will never lose me. Our oaths to each other had nothing to do with the League. They never did. I will always be in your life. Besides…your sister is hot and finally single."

Kara shook her head and smiled. "You are going to seduce my big sister. I knew you kept me around for some reason. Are you sure you are ready to move on, Nyssa?"

The woman did not have to wonder what Kara was talking about. Had she moved on?

"She would want me to. I loved her and swore a blood oath to avenge her. I have fulfilled my oath. It is time to move on, for both of us. Speaking of moving on, I understand a man in red leather has visited you a few times? Judging by the sling and bandage I suppose the operation that started your retirement plan began early? Was he here for it? Does he know?"

Kara wondered for a second how she knew Barry Allen was visiting her then disregarded it. No matter what, no matter how far away, Nyssa would have had someone watching her back. Now they had to watch each other's back.

"Yeah, he was here. He has been here a few times. It's been…nice."

"Only nice?" Nyssa asked with a knowing wink.

"Yeah, maybe more, okay more but…I'm moving back to Midvale. He isn't going to leave Central City. I want to get away from that world and he is very involved in it. How am I supposed…what could possibly change…"?

"Follow your heart and the rest will work itself out. Fate cannot be outran. Besides, perhaps the running from Central City to Midvale may cause him to become faster. The exercise can never hurt. Are you ever going to tell me how you know the Flash and why you became so uncharacteristically infatuated with him in a brief time?"

Kara shook her head. "I'll ask him to meet you but it's not my secret to tell."

Nyssa touched her cheek gently, not surprised by the loyalty she showed. If there was one thing she knew for certain, it was that Kara was loyal to those who she held dear and a nightmare to those against them.

"I am sure Barry Allen appreciates your discretion."

Kara was surprised for a second then laughed. It was known the Flash worked with the Arrow in the past. Nyssa found out everything about Oliver. It shouldn't have surprised her that she knew probably everything about the Flash, down to his home address.

"Keeping secrets from you is impossible, isn't it?"

"Now you are finally learning Al Malek. I shall go. I understand you have a meeting shortly and you need your rest. I will keep in constant contact with your sister and ask her about you occasionally. You always know how to contact me. I will be back next week, and perhaps we can have dinner on the table inside the poorly conceived cabin. It would beat the mountains where we had our last picnic. Goodbye Kara."

"See ya soon, Nyssa. Watch your back."

"Always. I'll keep an eye on your sister's back as well." Nyssa winked at Alex who was still watching from the window and strolled away, blending into the woods.

Alex walked up to her sister, who had a genuine smile on her face. She would be finding out more about this relationship. She had a feeling the two had a friendship that was based on more than killing Malcolm Merlyn. Kara hadn't acted at ease with a female like that since Lena Luthor.

"How did she even make it here, in those boots? The nearest road is at least thirty minutes away by car. Bruce has to fly in."

Kara shook her head. "She finds her way. She always has. I suppose I should get ready for therapy. Maybe you should walk her out and you could find out for yourself."

Alex caught the mischievous look in her eyes. "I'm sure she is a big girl and can handle herself. Let's get you back inside. I promised Clark X Box back up. He has been taking it well, all things considered. I was talking to Mom this morning about maybe letting him go to Connolly's for a weekend, just to get some fresh air and beach time. What do you think?"

"I'll talk him into it." Kara assured her. He had been doing well with the information dumped on him. Yes, he had been sad, contemplative, and sullen for the next couple of days but shook it off, telling Kara it did not matter before bed one night. Whether that was true remained to be seen and she would be watching him closely. The last thing Kara ever wanted was for him to bottle up things inside until they destroyed him.

An hour later she found herself in a familiar uncomfortable chair, facing the woman who pried secrets from her robot the day before.

"So, how do you feel about what we learned yesterday?" Leslie started.

" Yes, I'm well today. Thank you so much for asking. My friend Nyssa dropped by. Yes, the stitches itch but I am getting used to it. I ate breakfast this morning and did not feel like vomiting immediately afterwards. Since you asked me so nicely, how has your day been?"

Thompkins sat back and took in her charge. Kara had a playfulness to her today. Perhaps she would begin to open up more or hide behind massive walls made of sarcasm and bullshit. Either way, things were about to get intense.

"I apologize, princess. I'm glad you have had a great morning Mine has sucked. I moved around six appointments today to hang out in a hole in the ground with a sarcastic brat. Now that the niceties have been taken care of, are you going to answer my question?"

"Yes I am. I am confused. I am very confused." Kara admitted. "I have spent over a decade hating a woman for all the wrong reasons. A woman who wanted…I don't know, okay? I have sat up all night, thinking about nothing but this. I feel horrible, but I also feel like I didn't know her at all. I thought I knew a little but, there was this whole other side to the story, to her. She threatened to kill Zor El for me, so I know he must have hated me. I still have so many questions and I will never get answers."

"You know more than you did." Leslie pointed out. "How do you feel about the information you learned?"

"Ashamed." Kara admitted. "Ashamed of the times I cursed her, ashamed of what she would think if she knew what I had become, where I am now. I feel a lot of shame."

"You don't think she would be proud? Proud of who you are?" Leslie pushed.

"Proud of who I am? Look at where I am. She would be crying, never talk to me again, she would hate me, hate herself…"

"Bullshit."

Kara was caught off guard by that astute opinion.

"Why would you…look at where I am, what I am!"

"You are just like her and Eliza. Want to hear my opinion? You are going to get it anyway so nod your head…good girl. Your mother threatened to murder her own husband and frame her brother in law to protect you. She blackmailed, she broke laws, she did whatever it took to protect you. When Eliza first met that crew that runs the DEO, I understand she pulled a rifle and threatened to kill them if they tried to harm you or your little brother. She meant it. She threatened to kill Astra over the phone for hurting you, stood in front of Clark when that woman attacked them. You have had two mothers in your life and they are both women who would break any law, destroy any threat to their children. You are the same. I bet she would be pretty damn proud of the way you turned out to be."

Kara looked at her doubtfully.

"Okay, she would probably be mad about the drinking, the casual sex, the drug use, the self-harm, suicide attempts…" Leslie amended.

"I get it!"

"But she would be proud of you I think. Eliza is. Yeah, you scare the hell out of her, give here grey hair that she colors but she is proud of you. She sees what they all see, your sister and brother, your father. No matter your faults you are just like your mothers. You would and have killed anyone who tries to hurt your family. No matter what else has gone on in your life, what issues you had, that has always been your driving force. You killed your aunt, never hesitated because you knew she was a threat to your family. Sounds like you took after Eliza and Alura. That's an honorable trait to have. So maybe start thinking of some positives about yourself instead of focusing on the negatives."

Kara said nothing for a moment, thinking of what she had said. It was true, the first time they met Connolly and Jon, Eliza did have a rifle she had dug out of the attack and was prepared to kill them if they tried to take her and Clark. Maybe Zor El was disappointed in her, maybe never wanted her, but Alura did. Eliza did threaten Astra over the phone when her aunt said Kara was her daughter.

"It's hard to focus on the positives in a place like this." she finally said.

"Really? You have a personal billion-dollar private hospital that is harder to get into than the Pentagon, built for you by a guy who isn't trying to sleep with you. Bruce obviously thinks a lot of you. This whole place is a testament to what he thinks you are worth, and he doesn't even want you fighting crime anymore. Get it together, Danvers. I'm not going to praise you all afternoon. Come up with some positives about yourself. Tell me. I'll let you know if you are wrong."

Kara rolled her eyes, not doubting a bit that Leslie would tell her when she was wrong.

"I …I have saved a lot of children, people I mean, I guess."

"Why?"

Kara looked sharply at the therapist, not exactly sure what the right answer would be.

"Don't do that. Stop thinking about what I want to hear and say the truth, even if it doesn't make sense to you."

"I don't want people hurt. Not innocents, not people who are just trying to live their lives. My mother could have turned them all in, the whole house. Kryptonians could have had time to prepare, to leave the planet."

"And what would have happened to you?"

The blonde sat back, not having a clue. She hadn't been a party to it but…

"Let me take a stab." Thompkins offered. "Your entire house would have been sent to this ghost place and you would have been pushed off on some other family who wouldn't want you since you belonged to a disgraced family who destroyed the planet. You would have never survived."

"Maybe." Kara admitted.

"So, tell me, what if you had a chance to save the world but to do it you had to kill Alex. What would you do?"

For a moment, Kara forgot her eyes could not burn any longer, so the power she normally felt that was absent took her off guard.

"Answer…the …question."

"I take Alex, my family and we leave. To hell with the rest of the world. I take care of mine first. I always have, and I always will. They are mine."

Leslie folded her arms and smiled, satisfied with the answer. "Kid, if you can keep being that honest, we may get somewhere. So, you and your family, they got that in common, both your families. You all believe in family first. Alura didn't believe in family though, she believed in you. What else do you have to say that would make her proud?"

"Make her proud?" the girl asked, a bit confused. She was supposed to think of positive things about herself, but that didn't mean Alura would be proud. "Uh…I visit sick children and the symbol makes money for this charity…"

"Damn it, girl, it's like pulling a horse to a slaughterhouse with you. I've read your press releases. I know what you have done. I want to know you. You are loyal to those you love. You put them above all else. What else?"

"I …I love my cat?"

"Wonderful. Tells us nothing. Everybody loves a cat or dog or birds or cars, so don't go there next. What makes you special? What is it that you think others would say about you, those who know you?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing good."

"Then why the hell are we here? Obviously, they think a lot about you if everybody has stopped their lives to make the effort to save your life."

"That's all, I'm loyal. I tried to be good, I did. I just can't…it's too much! The ghosts and the voices and that woman's face when she looked at her baby. I had just lost everything, and I was so scared all the time and I could have saved her and I didn't! I never tried to save Astra, not really! I knew, I always knew she would never leave my family alone. I learned how to snap a neck when I was 16 years old and do you know the first thought I had? If she misses with a right and I sweep her leg, I can get her in this position and she would be defenseless. I knew then, I fought those battles in my head all the time and every single time it ended with me breaking her neck. When I fought her, I knew how it would go, I planned it. I may have been defending my family, but if I found her alone and they were nowhere around, I would have killed her anyway!"

"It haunts you, doesn't it?" Leslie goaded. "But you know it isn't your fault, Kara. You are just holding on to it, to everything, punishing yourself. Your aunt died when she killed her first human because Kara Danvers was not going to let that stand. You protected the world from her, even though it cost you so much, you never doubted. You couldn't have saved that woman and the baby and even if you could you would have endangered your family. You never had a chance and you know it isn't your fault, but you use it to punish yourself. All those years they let you visit that cemetery, it was just another type of self-harm and they never realized it."

"I could have…"

"How? Give me one reasonable scenario over the years you have been holding on to this, that can tell me how you could have saved them without exposing your family. To hell with that, give me a way you could have saved them at all. There was gasoline and a power line and the whole thing happened in seconds. I got news for you kid, you aren't that fast, and you are not a god. You sure as hell weren't when you were 13. You couldn't have saved them, you never had a chance. People die, and the sad thing is, you know it. You know you can't stop it all. You just use it to punish yourself, as sure as you burned your arms and broke your fingers, it was just another tool."

"I …know, okay? I get it" Kara shouted. "I got it when I was…after my last attempt…I know. But I just want my world, my perfect world. One where people can be happy and others like Lex Luthor and Jor El don't take advantage, put themselves above people. I want them gone from my world."

Leslie shook her head, pushing, exhilarated that she was making progress and frightened that she could light the switch on a stack of dynamite.

"The world isn't perfect. Never has been close. You aren't perfect, and your family isn't perfect. Clark is too cocky, nosy and spoiled. Kid doesn't know the meaning of the word privacy. Eliza is extremely overprotective, she has enabled you, just as much as Alex has. They let you get away with this crap for too long because they treated you like some porcelain doll. Alex is a genius, she could use her brain to change the world, but she works with you instead. She wants to watch your back, but she also loves the fight. She lives for it. You giving up this hero game is going to save her as well, whether either of you know it or not. Don't get me started on your Dad."

"What about my Dad?" Kara asked, quickly, tensing for a fight.

"He babies you. He gives into your every wish. He is scared to confront you because you might get upset and he thinks it would be his fault if you did something to yourself. He punishes himself for the things you have done to yourself almost as much as you punish yourself for things that you couldn't change. It is a bloody miracle all of them finally got it together and did the tough thing. You should have been brought here long ago. If you had died, would it have been their fault?"

"No, it wouldn't. I would watch how you talk about them." Kara told her quietly, her free hand clenching and considering taking off her sling now.

"Why? If it's your fault that everything bad happens in the world, why isn't it theirs if something bad happens to you? You can give me that murderous gaze that I am sure is the last thing a lot of aliens have ever saw. You can kill me a dozen ways, without your powers. But what I am saying is still going to be true, Kara."

Kara stood up.

"Go ahead. Hurt me, hit me, kill me." Leslie baited her, leaning back and crossing her legs, casually. "I'm old and have arthritis. You would be doing me a favor."

Kara stood still, every muscle tense, trying to calm down.

"That's what I thought. You won't touch me because you are a good person. I haven't threatened anyone, I would never hurt your family. That's who you are. You aren't Astra, you aren't Henshaw and you aren't Luthor. You would never touch an innocent. You are just like both your mothers and I think they are pretty good people. Sit down before you pop your stitches."

Kara looked around the room, and stared hard at the door. A large part of her wanted to storm out. Jessica never pushed Kara this hard because she knew Kara would just leave.

She wanted to leave, show this Dr. Thompkins that she was in control.

Instead she sat because a loud voice in her head was telling her she lost control a long time ago.

"Now are you ready to get back to work? Same assignment. Give me something else, something good about you."

Kara took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair.

"I'm very smart and I love to fix things. Anything really. It makes me feel good to make something beautiful again."

"Why?"

"Because I want to be beautiful again." the blonde admitted with no hesitation.

Finally, she was getting it, Leslie thought.

"Good. C'mon, let's go. We have a lot to do. Tell me more."

So, Kara did for the next three hours.

 **Central City**

It had been two weeks since Kara's surgery. Barry had returned the following weekend and the two spent Saturday talking, about nothing at times and everything at others. She never asked about metahumans, or aliens, or anything else superhero related.

Kara had also told him about the information she found out about her mother, Alura.

He expected anyone would be ecstatic to hear that information, but Kara did not seem to be. She appeared as if she was in deep thought all weekend, even when watching television. On further thought he supposed information like that could affect everyone differently and Kara was definitely different.

She did appear as if a weight had been lifted somewhat. She smiled a lot more, picked on Clark a lot and made Barry play Dance Revolution with her and Alex until she became tired and fell asleep.

Kara slept a lot that weekend. Alex assured him it was just the medication and would ease off as the dosages were correct. According to the big sister, Kara had made more progress since the time she found out about her mother, than she had in ten years of therapy.

The Flash suspected her therapist might have had something to do with that. Alex told him there were often raised voices in the room, from both but she came out feeling better each time. Kara was also participating with the substance abuse counselor apparently without any voices being raised.

The search for a brave PTSD counselor was unsuccessful and Dr. Thompkins decided that she would have to handle that area.

Supergirl had all but disappeared. J'onn had been seen flying around as her less and less and began assisting the police in his green form, leading Cat Grant and Lois Lane to publish stories about the new green hero. While he did not interact with the public, thinking children may not be as excited to see a very tall, green Martian greeting them in parks and on the streets, he was being slowly accepted by the National City police. He had stopped in Gotham once and Metropolis twice.

It had already begun though. Whispers, questions on the news shows and talk shows, all focusing on one topic. Where had Supergirl gone? Many cults were breaking up, a few outspoken, stating that she had tired of humanity's violence and greed. Only a handful of people knew the Girl of Steel was in an underground, high security hospital and had no plans to ever return to the public spotlight.

On his way to Kentucky, battered and bruised and carrying clothes in a backpack that would hide those bruises from Kara, he was called by Cisco and had to deviate from his normal path across country and make a stop at S.T.A.R.

Skidding into the lab, he was somehow not surprised to find Joe and Iris waiting along with Cisco.

"What's going on?" he asked, wanting to take care of this and get to Kara.

"Why don't you tell us? Nice new suit, buddy," Cisco noted. "I've seen that material before. It's the latest fashion trend from Krypton, right?"

Barry expected this would happen eventually. He had not been in Central City in weeks, received calls from Joe, Cisco and Iris and given vague answers as to his whereabouts and activities.

"You called me to Central City to ask me about a suit?"

The suit was not that different, basically the same design with lightning bolts across the belt line, down his arms and legs and on the ears of his mask. It had been given to him by Connolly the Monday before along with boots that could change grips on different surfaces, like the manner Kara's had done. The technology she had was amazing.

"We called you to find out what the hell is going on with you. Does the Flash still protect Central City?" Joe asked.

"Do the police?" Barry countered. "I am receiving training on alien threats from specialists in National City. I've been working with them on different strategies to defeat them. That's all I am going to say. I told you if a metahuman shows up in Central City, I will be here."

Joe noted the tense look on his foster son's face. Barry rarely got angry, but things had changed, his father's death and his obvious associations with the now missing Supergirl.

"What is wrong with the old way of taking care of alien threats? Supergirl flies in and beats them to death out of sight? Or does she burn them? Maybe she gives them to her giant friend on the bike who killed Damian Darhk in front of the Star City police and then walked away laughing? Or can Batman and Nightwing no longer handle it? What about her…"

"What about you mind your own business, Joe." Barry snapped. "The dangers of this world are bigger than bank robbers in Central City. I've stopped so many crimes here only metas are stupid enough to try anything and they haven't been around. The last time I checked, I wasn't paid by Central City for being the Flash. I don't have regular shifts where I am obligated to patrol Central City. As far as Kara, or any of her friends, stay the hell out of it."

Iris nearly panicked, almost walked out, not wanting to witness a fight between her father and Barry. She had only shown up to calm them both down in the event of an argument, but this one may be out of her league. Barry's face was turning red, a sure sign that he was becoming very angry. It didn't happen often, so it wasn't difficult to catch it when it did happen.

"Let's all stay calm." she tried. "Dad, Barry is right. He is an adult and isn't responsible for all the crime in the city. Barry, Dad is just concerned…"

"That you seem more comfortable with murderous aliens than you do with the team you started with. Caitlin is wrapped up in this now as well." Joe interrupted. "Ever since Supergirl and her vigilante friends showed up at S.T.A.R. you haven't been the same. I get that you have a crush on her, but she isn't exactly what she seems, is she?"

Barry stared a moment at Joe, using the breathing exercises he had learned from Jessica and realizing that she was right. He and Joe would have to have a serious talk one day, but not when he was angry.

Still it would prove too difficult right now to control his temper. Years of repressing his feelings were on the verge of breaking out of him.

"I owe you a lot, Joe. You have done a lot for me, I wouldn't have the life I have now if it weren't for you. But I am sick of your doubts. I won't take it anymore."

The man's eyes widened, the shock on his face very evident. "What are you talking about?"

"Even after Supergirl came out to the world and everyone knew about aliens, you still refused to even consider that I could have been right, that my Dad could have been innocent. You still didn't believe me. When I started this, I told you that Mardon was still alive you told me it was my imagination. When I started being the Flash, you told me I wasn't a hero, just some kid that got struck by lightning. I have had to prove myself to you, time and time again. I am tired of proving myself to you. What I am doing is none of your business. If I keep secrets from you, it's for your own good. You can understand that. He can, right Iris? Didn't he tell you that keeping information from you on your mother was for your own good?"

Iris looked away, beginning to walk to the back of the room. Yes, she knew her dad kept a huge secret from her about her mother, for her own good supposedly. She had forgiven him but nothing Barry said was untrue.

"I love you, Joe. Cisco, you are one of my best friends. Only Iris knows more about me than you do. That will never change, but my activities are none of either of your concerns. Cisco, you locked me up when I wanted to race Zoom and save Joe. None of you had faith in me but Wally who knew me the least. I've gotten over it for the most part, but it still sticks with me. I kept it inside because I didn't want to lose anyone else but my days of answering to everyone around me are over. Never talk about murderers, Joe. Damian Darhk would have escaped and followed through with his plan. He had launch codes for the nuclear missiles arsenal of the US and planned to use them."

Barry began pacing, rubbing his hair and trying to remain calm.

"I also noticed you didn't hesitate to accept Oliver's help when I was hit by Bivolo. You spent a week, sat down with Thawne and told me he was a bad influence but the moment you needed him, he was there."

Joe turned to Cisco, who was as speechless as he was. Barry had never said these things, would never say these things, they thought. Was it his father's death, Supergirl's influence or both? Or maybe he was just saying what he had wanted to say for a long time. Joe could not deny that he had made mistakes but never realized how much Barry still held on to them.

Barry was beginning to realize this would not be a conversation. Neither his foster father or best friend had anything to say.

"Iris?" he finally asked, seeing her in the back with her arms crossed and an indecipherable look on her face.

"I think you have to follow your path, wherever that leads Barry. I'll back you. I know you aren't taking a vacation in National City. Whatever you are doing is important. I know Caitlin wasn't forced to go anywhere, she volunteered, and I am betting Bruce Wayne asked her. You had no idea when Cisco told you. Whatever you need to do, I back you. I lost faith in you once, I didn't think you could beat Zoom. I won't make that mistake again."

Barry let out a breath, feeling relieved that at least Iris still trusted him to make decisions for himself.

"Thank you, Iris. I need to go. I have somewhere important to be. Cisco, I am not trying to replace the suit you made me. I need this suit right now because of some training I am undergoing. I get…shot a lot and it has amazing body armor. It's a long story, one I will tell you all one day, but I don't have time now. I really need to go."

Barry zoomed out, leaving the three standing, speechless. Iris finally broke the silence as she walked out.

"That went well. You were right, Dad. You said you were going to demand answers and you got them. You always do. Did you like the answers you got?"

When Barry arrived at the Block an hour later, he still had the conversation on his mind. The man had never realized how much anger he still had in him. He thought he had worked it out after Bivolo but his father's death and the events leading up to it and after it, brought all those feelings back. He had hoped to have a calm conversation with Joe, but as he often did, when Joe decided he wanted answers he didn't like to wait.

Changing into the clothes he brought, glad for the cool day, so he wouldn't look awkward in long sleeves that covered his bruises that were still healing.

Alex was up a few minutes later as usual. She asked him to place his own palm on the reader next to the elevator. He saw a light scan his palm and then the door opened.

"Now you have access. I'm getting tired of having to let you in all the time." she told him. "There is something you need to know before you see her. She has been doing well but we found a side effect of the medication, either the antipsychotic or the antidepressant, we aren't sure. She told Caitlin a story this morning about the first time she lost a tooth. She and I set a trap for the tooth fairy and Mom walked into it, got caught up in a fishing net."

Barry grinned, imagining a young Kara and Alex doing something like that.

"So…what's the problem?"

"It never happened. When Kara was 18, she was attacked by an alien parasite that was able to manipulate her mind. These parasites, they put their victim into this perfect world and feed off the positive brain waves until brain death occurs. I had to go into her head, using some tech from the Fort. It was so real, you would never be able to tell the difference. The feeling of the sun, the grass, the smells, I thought I had been teleported somehow to Midvale."

"She was in Midvale? Her perfect world?"

Alex met his eyes and he saw they were shining with unshed tears. "I found her on the beach with all of us…she was 13 and in her world, she wasn't an alien, Krypton had never existed…she was just a human kid who belonged to our parents, had been born here, so had Clark. She did human things, was clumsy, got sunburned, wasn't afraid to sing in front of people or be seen in public without glasses."

"That must have been tough to …how did you save her?" he asked, trying to wrap his head around that and making a note to ask Connolly or Webb about this creature.

"I had to convince her that her perfect world wasn't real. I had to remind her of her reality. It was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do. She wanted to stay there so badly and then her arms… " Alex stopped not wanting to remember that scene. She wiped her eyes and sniffed, trying to look strong.

"The problem wasn't just the world, it was everything. She had a whole life of memories placed in her head, really good memories. She wasn't on Earth when she lost any of her teeth. Kara has never had a difficult time before, she has always known those memories aren't real. But now…"

"Now they are becoming jumbled together as the medication is building up and affecting her mind." he guessed.

Alex's worried face was all the answer he needed.

"Caitlin, Shay, they are working on it. I just wanted to give you a heads up, in case she says anything strange, don't mention it. I don't want her distressed. She has been doing well these past two weeks. I mean that. She has been in such a good mood, she is laughing and starting exercises now that her stitches are out. I am afraid this could be another setback."

Barry shook his head.

"It won't be, Alex. She is going to be okay. You said she is getting better and she will continue to get better. Caitlin will figure this out. If there is one person I would trust anyone's life with, it is Caitlin Snow. How is everything else?"

"A lot better." the brunette admitted. "Barry…I'm really glad you are here. You have no idea how much just coming to see her is helping. Its helping me out too, all of us, especially Clark. He will never admit it but he looks up to you. Thanks, for everything."

"I'm not going to leave her, Alex. I'm not going to be scared away. You never have to thank me. I'll always be here."


	20. Chapter 20

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

A/N Thanks for the reviews. I have a quick question. I started an original story on another site and other sites are hard to find. I am considering putting it on fictionpress on this site or AO3. Would anybody read it? I know there isn't a lot of interest in original stories. Let me know.

 **Chapter 20 Days Off.**

Barry Allen was very annoyed today. It was Saturday. He should be half way through a cross-country run to see Kara. Since he last spoke to her the weekend before, Alex had assured him this week the antipsychotics had been adjusted and she no longer had trouble distinguishing real memories from false ones. He spoke to her every night and she seemed better, even dare he say, joyous on a few occasions. She also sounded spaced out, drowsy, and this was becoming more frequent when he heard her voice.

He also heard the sadness in her voice she tried to hide when he told her he had to work today and wouldn't be there until sometime next week.

So now he looked around the giant warehouse, his trainers surrounding him from above and didn't see anything special about today. It was the same as any other day of the week. Lift weights, drink a lot of juiced up protein shakes, fight, or getting his ass kicked in the speed dampening room and then phasing, or working on lightning.

"Okay, I am here. Is there some reason we have to do this today?" he asked Connolly.

"Evil doesn't take the weekend off, Barry." the man told him.

"No, but I do, and I use it to see Kara."

"We got some special guests here, that could only make it today. Today, you get to spar." Hawk told him, and Barry did not like the grin on his face. "Meet your competition, superhero."

The ceiling opened, and two figures flew in. One he recognized as the Martian Manhunter as Cat Grant had taken to calling him. The other…

"What are you doing here?"

Clark stood in the air, old jeans and a Halo 2 t shirt on, arms crossed with an evil smile.

"I am supposed to be at the beach with Jessica. If you don't tell my parents I am here, I won't tell your girlfriend you are at Superhero Kindergarten."

Barry shook his head and pulled on his mask. The suit was beginning to feel natural for him and he wondered not for the first time if he would be able to give it up for his old one.

"I'm not fighting Clark." he told Connolly.

"Just don't use any lightning bolts on him. Other than that, you can't hurt him. I would be more worried about yourself. Survive in here for ten minutes with J'onn and Clark, don't run outside and you win. If you give up, they win. Simple enough, Flash? Good. The exercise begins now."

 _"You are about to get your butt kicked so hard."_ Clark told him.

"What?"

"That was Kryptonese for good luck."

Barry never heard the wind move behind him, focused on Clark, he forgot somehow about the large Green Martian behind him.

He remembered when he felt the fist to his back, sending him to the ground. He looked up just in time to see Clark diving for him and twisted to the side, the little boy straightening and flying a foot above the floor until he stopped.

J'onn attacked once more, but it was no use. The Martian was fast, but Barry had slight problem getting out of his way. After the third missed swing, Barry struck, sending a fist into where the Martian's chest should have been.

Instead J'onn was gone. Barry turned quickly, seeing J'onn behind him and this time his fist did connect with Barry's chin.

"Stay moving!" he heard one of the men above shout. Another fist swung through Barry who was now vibrating at unreal speed. He side stepped the man, and almost solidified to strike until he was solidified by force.

Clark's very cold breath was raining down on him, chilling the air and causing his form to return to solid. Barry thought J'onn smiled then felt the man's fist strike his chin again, sending him across the room.

Keeping an eye on the Martian, he did not feel his chances brightening when…a T Rex appeared?

"Alex Special." someone, maybe Ty said. Barry did feel the wind this time and leaned back, Clark's fist barely missing him as the boy flew by. Instead of continuing to fly, Clark stopped and kicked back, sending Barry sliding to the dinosaur's large legs. Taking a glance up he relived the Jurassic Park bathroom scene as large teeth crashed down on him.

He was not ashamed to admit he may have slightly screamed as he rolled out of the way.

The Flash decided to take the offensive, running up the walls and on their sides, circling the room. This plan worked, gave him time to come up with a plan for survival in the next eight minutes. HIs plan was cut short when a large green monster struck the wall near him, the debris making him stumble to the ground.

He was not on the ground for long as he felt small hands grabbing him, and pulling him up. When he was near the top, Clark dropped him.

The Flash began twirling his arms, making a vortex to cushion his fall. Once he reached the ground, he made another vortex, into an oncoming Clark. Barry found out what Kara already knew. The boy had not mastered flying in rough winds without a cape.

Clark nearly hit the ground, but Barry caught him. This turned out to be a mistake when Clark's elbow caught the Flash's chin. Raising himself off the ground again, Barry stiffened, a sharp pain went through his head and stayed.

He couldn't move. J'onn walked up to him slowly, eyes glowing redder than usual.

"Stop letting me do this." a voice in Barry's head said, one he knew was J'onn's.

"I'm can't." the man whispered. "It hurts."

"Grodd nearly took you out." J'onn told him out loud "You had to use neural blockers to defeat him. You can't be mind controlled, not if you don't want to. It's easy. Think, think of everything and nothing but do it quickly and don't stop. Think of equations, formulas, theories, childhood memories, loves, loss, whatever you can, but think of them quickly. I can control minds because I can grab onto a person's thought processes, read their minds, plant suggestions and in some cases, freeze a body and cause severe pain. I have never been able to read Kara's mind. Like you, her brain and her thoughts can move at incredible speeds. Think quickly and no one will be able to control your mind."

Barry did as instructed, thinking of several things at once, even going through files he had been studying last night. Whether J'onn let up or he was being successful, Barry felt the pain go away and began to regain movement. Soon he was blurring and across the room, staring at his two foes.

"Good." J'onn nodded in approval and with what Barry thought was a smile.

Clark was not smiling next to him and moved fast, faster than Barry had seen him before, heading straight for him. Barry dodged as Clark's fist went into the concrete wall directly behind him, shattering it. Before he could be impressed with the strength, Clark attacked again, standing in front of the Flash and putting everything he had into it. Barry remained a blur, but the little boy danced side to side, crushing concrete on either side of him.

He was also yelling and had a look of complete fury on his face.

"Clark! That's enough!" Webb yelled from above. Barry was busy just ducking and weaving side to side. Clark finally hit the same side twice and he sipped out from between the wall and the boy.

To his surprise, Clark never turned around, instead continuing to punch the wall and sending concrete debris everywhere.

He was still yelling, more like screaming, screaming in a rage.

"Clark!" Hawk yelled.

Clark did stop screaming, instead unleashing his heat vision into the wall, hot enough that Barry broke out in a sweat and zipped back from him to stand next to J'onn.

"I've had it! She is a liar! All she does is lie!" the boy screamed, heat vision gone but eyes still glowing. Without another word he took off, through the roof and out of sight.

"I'll…" J'onn started before Barry stopped him.

"I've got this."

The Flash ran outside and saw the little boy flying off in the distance. Luckily, they were in a desert location where there were no onlookers. Barry doubted the boy would care if the entire world saw him at that moment.

Catching up to him was easy. He hoped Clark stopped before they reached a city and he was rewarded when the boy finally landed in the desert and sat on the ground. Barry stopped a few feet behind the kid.

"Go away."

Instead of doing so, Barry sat next to the boy on the ground but didn't say anything.

"I always thought that symbol she wore meant something." Clark finally said. "I always thought I have these cool sisters and cool parents and even my birth parents were heroes. That was why Kara wore it, because she was proud. But she wasn't. She never was. She lied to me, Alex lied to me, even Mom and Dad, they knew. My parents on Krypton were scum."

"Clark…"

"They were! You don't know the things they did. You only know what Kara told you. She told you they killed a planet and told no one. How many people do you think lived on Krypton, Barry? Any idea? I know. Kelex told me once. Over three million Kryptonians died. Three million. My family was responsible for killing three million people and Kara let me think they were heroes! She lied! It's all Kara ever does! She lies, and I can't say anything because if I do she will cut her wrists again! She knew the truth and instead of telling me she kept it to herself and it drove her crazy! Alex knew! Alex should have told me! Mom and Dad knew! Nobody told me! They let me think those people were heroes! Now what? The only connection I had to Krypton is taking crazy drugs in a hole in the ground! She should have told me! She lied to me!"

"Clark, please calm down and let's talk."

"They didn't even love me. Jor El, Lara? They used me! They put some sort of Codex thing in me, so I could recreate Krypton. They wanted to use me to take over this planet. Who…what kind of people could they be? I came from them? That stupid symbol. You know I have a suit with that symbol in the Fortress? I couldn't wait to be big enough, to be old enough to wear it. It made me proud. I had dreams about putting that thing on and flying next to Kara, saving people with her, fighting bad guys. Now the thought of putting it on makes me want to puke."

Barry sat in silence until he heard Clark begin to cry. Moving closer to the boy, he carefully wrapped an arm around him, not saying a word, hoping he would get it all out.

Clark finally wiped his eyes.

"Kara said it was the symbol of our house. It's a stupid S. It doesn't mean hope. It doesn't mean anything. She wore it as a target, to get aliens to come after her. Now they won't. They are scared of her. She is a killer. She lies, and she kills, and she uses drugs and won't stop drinking. Every alien in the world and a lot of people are scared of her. They probably should be. They had to kidnap her to get her to stop drinking!"

The two sat for the next twenty minutes, neither saying anything, Barry with his arm wrapped around the kid and Clark leaning into him slightly.

"Why did she lie to me? Both of them, all of them? Mom and Dad, Alex, they would have told me. I know Kara said not to. Why? Why didn't she tell me? Kara thinks she knows everything. She always has. She snorts drugs, but she is always right, ask anybody. She thinks she knows what's best for me? She can't even take care of herself! When I was five I was in the back yard with Mom. She ran out of the house screaming and used her heat vision on herself. Her arm turned black. I thought she was going to burn to death. She thinks she knows best? She can't stop killing herself, hurting herself, hurting everybody else, but she decided what I needed to know? Who does she think she is?!"

Barry took a deep breath, aware that whatever he said could set the boy off more.

"Change positions with her." he suggested.

Clark looked at him curiously.

"What are talking about?"

"If the positions were reversed. Say you were thirteen and you had a one-year old girl to take care of on a strange world. It was just the two of you, and you were responsible for her happiness. As soon as she was old enough, would you tell her how horrible her parents were? Would you want her to feel the way you are feeling now?"

Clark said nothing for a moment, thinking, trying to imagine it.

"I would have told her eventually. She would have deserved to know the truth."

"What age?" Barry asked.

"What do you mean?"

"At what age? When she was four? Five? Ten? What if you weren't sure but the older she got the harder it would have been to tell her? What if you loved her too much to hurt her, ever? What if you never wanted her to feel the pain that the truth brought? When would you do it, Clark? How old would she be?"

Clark thought for a moment, a moment that stretched into minutes of silence as Barry patiently waited for his answer.

"I don't know." the boy finally admitted.

"Look, I won't pretend to know what you are feeling. I can't. I know Kara is far from perfect. She drank too much, she tried to kill herself, a couple times and I won't try to lie to you, I know she is an addict. She has lied, hurt herself, hurt others and yeah, she used that symbol to bring the worst out to get her, so you wouldn't have to fight them one day. The more I learn about her the more I realize how far from perfect she is. We all are, Clark. None of us are perfect. Not her, not Alex and not me. But we don't love people because they are perfect. One thing I know, one thing I would stake my life on, is that Kara and Alex would die for you. They almost have, fighting battles so you wouldn't have to."

Clark shook his head. "I never asked them to. I deserved to know."

"That's what love is. When you love someone, they don't have to be asked. They do it anyway. You are right, she is all you said but she is so much more than that. That symbol she wears, it means something to the world."

Clark shrugged his shoulders. "It is the symbol of the House of El. I used to be proud when I saw her wearing it. I thought Krypton may be dead, but our House is still helping people. Now when I look at it all I see is a reminder of what my so-called hero parents did to our planet. Three million people, Barry."

Barry could understand why he would feel that way.

"Remember that high rise fire in Metropolis? Those people were trapped on the eighty first floor. There was smoke rolling out the windows, and people couldn't even be seen but they took down drapes, found some paint from a maintenance closet and painted that symbol on it? They hung it out the window because they were about to die and needed hope. Hope came in wearing a red cape and a skirt. She saved those people. The entire world saw that symbol for what is was. Remember the flood in Taiwan last year? This people were on top of that house and they took debris floating by and made that symbol on the roof?"

"Yeah." Clark admitted, laughing at the memory. "There were six of them and the house was about to collapse so Kara lifted a minivan from the water and had them climb inside, then flew them to high ground."

"Right. That was cool. Yeah, Kara does lie, has lied about a lot of stuff. She did all the stuff you said. But she also loves. She loves you and she loves innocent people and she goes to extreme measures with those who aren't innocent, but that symbol means something. That is going to be your symbol. Kara is done. She has brought a lot of hope to the people of this world. The rest of us are going to have to step up but in a few years, quicker than you know, people are going to see that symbol on you. They aren't going to think about Krypton being destroyed because of it. They are going to remember the hope that symbol inspired. That isn't the symbol of the House of El anymore. It's yours now. Kara started it and you are going to continue it."

"What if I don't want to?"

Barry shrugged. "Then don't. It's your decision but I think I have come to know you pretty well. It won't be a decision at all. Where you came from doesn't matter. You and your sisters came from your real parents, Jeremiah and Eliza. All the crap they have been through, the reason the world looks to Kara in hope and not fear is because inside where it counts, she is good. Your family, your real family, is where she got that from and where you got it from. It's a symbol now of your house, your real family. Yeah, she lied. I won't tell you to forgive her because I think you know deep down why she did it, just like you know if you were in her place, you would have done the same thing."

Clark stood up and began walking, nowhere in particular, just moving in circles slowly, looking at the ground and occasionally kicking small rocks.

"The thing is, she didn't have to carry it. She could have told me, and I would have helped her. She tried to kill herself, Barry. I really thought she had died. No matter what she does, even if she quits drinking and taking drugs, I am always going to worry about that. No matter what, I am going to wonder if this is the day Mom tells me she died. I have nightmares too, you know? She isn't the only one. Alex does to. Why would she do that? Why would she hurt herself so bad if she loves me? Why try and leave me? Why?"

Barry looked at the sky, hoping an answer would fall to him. He had no idea what to say but knew Clark needed to hear something.

"Because Clark, even the strongest of us can fall. We all have a point where we just can't take it anymore. Kara…I don't know why she did it. But I can guess. She has carried this lie with her all these years. She has had to tell you how great people were who she hated. She has seen a lot of terrible things. I bet she hardly thinks about the people she saves. She probably thinks about the ones she didn't. I know I do. I have saved a lot of people but the ones who have died, those are the ones I dream about, think about constantly. That's kind of something you have to deal with, if you are going to be a hero. And all heroes, even the greatest, can fall. I have. I have gone to some low places in my life."

"You did?" the boy asked.

"Yeah. I used to think my father would never get out of prison. I was in college and traveling all over, trying to find something, some proof of the impossible and nothing I did mattered. I was close to giving up."

Clark was watching Barry closely now. He knew about the black holes and stuff but never knew about Barry's father.

"My father was convicted of a crime he didn't commit. They said he killed my Mom, but I knew he didn't. No one believed me, not even my best friend. I was beginning to think I was crazy. I almost gave up."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I met Kara and she told me she believed me. That…she was the first to ever tell me that. Sometimes its little things that can change your life."

"But she lied to you. She didn't tell you where we were from. She could have told you."

Barry nodded. He had thought the same thing at times over the years. Not often because the answer was obvious.

"She didn't really know me and if she told me that would have meant you and your parents could be in danger. Kara would never do anything to put you in danger. I know she isn't perfect, Clark. Everything you said about her is true, but never think she doesn't love you. She looks at you like you are her entire world. She never wanted you to know because she didn't want you hurt. Telling you was probably one of the hardest things she has ever done. You have every right to be mad, mad at everybody. But don't think they don't love you. I wish I had the family you have had growing up. I know the story. Alex told her parents that you two were aliens and they believed her without even seeing the two of you. I told the people closest to me that something strange killed my Mom and even after Kara came out as Supergirl they still didn't believe me. She could have told me I was crazy. It would have been the smart thing to do, but instead she gave me hope. That symbol does mean hope, whether you admit it or not."

Clark sat on the sand, not moving an inch but staring out at the distance, probably at something only he could see in the distance or in his head.

"I am so scared." he finally whispered.

"Yeah, so am I." the man admitted. "But that is what people like us do, Clark. We get scared, but we move ahead anyway. That's what makes a hero. Doing what's right, no matter the cost. I do know that right now, she needs you to be her hero. She would do anything in the world for you and I think you are the same. I want you to know, if you ever want to yell at someone about this, you can always call me."

"I don't want you to leave her. She is different around you." the boy admitted.

Barry laughed quietly.

"I'm different around her. I know she isn't perfect, but I am crazy about her. Even now, going through all this…nothing you can say is going to change that. Besides, I know you are saying this here because you would never want her to hear you, her or Alex. It's okay to let it out. I would rather you do it with me than with anyone else."

Clark's eyes, shimmered again, unshed tears threatening to fall.

"Don't tell her. I don't hate her or Alex, I shouldn't have said that. Please never tell her. I didn't mean it. I know she did it to protect me, but it drove her crazy, Barry. You know Mom has nightmares about her being dead? I don't want her to know. I do love her. Just don't tell her, please."

"I'll never tell anyone the things you tell me, Clark. I know you don't hate them. When I took you there all you wanted to do was be near her. I know you love them. Kara has been in a bad place for a very long time. I don't even know if she remembers when she was in a good place. But coming back from that, it isn't easy. I know she lied about your parents and it hurt her too. I bet there were a lot of times she wanted to tell you but couldn't. She wanted you to be proud of where you came from."

"Even if I shouldn't have been?"

"Especially if you shouldn't have been. Kara looks at you like you are her entire world. I bet she has always looked at you that way."

Clark shrugged his shoulders. "She was real bossy when I was young. Mom told me later that Kara was like that because it was the way she was raised. I would hate to be raised like that. She did take care of me though. I just wish she had never learned any of this stuff. Maybe she wouldn't be crazy now."

Clark wiped his nose with the back of his hand and shook his head, taking the cloudless sky in. After a few minutes of silence, he seemed to Barry to have come to some sort of peace.

"I guess we should get back, huh? You have to have your butt kicked some more."

Barry shook his head.

"Training is over. You are going to the beach where you are supposed to be, have some fun. I think I may go with you. I haven't swum in the ocean in a long time. Dan is worried about you too. Go on back and I will follow if I can keep up."

Clark rolled his eyes. "I know you are faster than me Barry, alright? Get over it already."

 **The Block**

Kara walked the deserted halls of the Block and found it eerie. She had never been up at 2 AM, roaming the place. She could hear voices occasionally but had a tough time pinpointing them since they were mostly echoes. A few times she reached for her wrist to remove a bracelet, so she could use her hearing and X ray vision to determine where she was and what was going on, then remembered there was no bracelet. It was easy to forget.

Kara had always cheated. She said she loved being without her powers but if she was sore without them, or didn't feel well, or just wanted to get over a hangover from drinking human alcohol, she would slip the bracelet or necklace off and all would be right in the world. Now she could no longer do that. She would have to live with bruises and other injuries, just like Alex did. She was okay with that. It was what she wanted.

But at times like this she realized how much she had come to rely on her powers for trivial things.

Finally, she found her parents lab, so she had a point of reference to the elevator. Kara wanted to find her way to the screening room and watch another movie. She had a lot on her mind as usual and wanted to relax a bit. She always slept at night and during the day was always surrounded by people. The girl needed some personal time.

She was surprised to see the lights on in her parents' lab and walked slowly and quietly towards it. No one should be in this lab. All the information that was transmitted from her doctors to Kelex and vice versa came through this lab.

Kara looked through the glass window and saw Caitlin Snow inside and relaxed, for a moment.

The moment ended when she saw Caitlin focusing intently on her hand, a hand that was turning to ice, her hair turning white and frost falling off her. Luckily Caitlin had her back to the window and couldn't hear her sharp gasp.

She continued to watch, seeing Caitlin's face concentrate almost desperately, trying to get a handle she supposed. Eventually the frost from her hand went away and the woman returned to her previous appearance, almost collapsing with the effort.

Kara knew she probably shouldn't get involved. If the woman wanted anyone to know she would have told someone.

So of course, she did what she knew she shouldn't. She walked inside, causing Caitlin to nearly jump out of her seat as if she were a child with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Hi." the blonde started, then took a seat.

"Ka…Kara, what are you doing up? Is the sleeping pill not working?" she asked nervously.

"No, it works great. The antipsychotic and antidepressant are better. I know which memories are real and fake now. Thanks for fixing that. I just needed some time to myself tonight."

Caitlin shook her head, calming down and hoping perhaps Kara had not witnessed her show.

"The nurses are supposed to…" the woman started then stopped, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

"Yeah, I know. They stay around and make sure I swallow my pills. I've seen that on TV. I also know how easy it is to put a pill under your tongue and take it out when the nurse is gone."

"Kara…"

"I won't do it again." the blonde assured her. "I took my other four pills. I just needed some time to myself tonight. I have been surrounded by people since I have been here, and I love it but…in the months leading up to this Alex was living with her girlfriend and I had a lot of time to myself. Sure, I drank and snorted powder or flew around beating up aliens, but I also had a lot of time to think. It won't happen again."

Caitlin shook her head. "I understand you wanting to be alone, but you are given those pills for a reason. You need sleep. Let me walk you back to your room and…"

"Does Barry know?" Kara asked.

Caitlin said nothing for a moment, her hopes that Kara had not witnessed her session, dashed.

"No. I would rather he not. Only your parents know. Your Mom and Dad just left. They are helping me isolate the metahuman gene. I…don't have the best control. I can turn it on, but it is so hard to stop. It's like I become this different person, a person I don't like."

Kara could understand that. She had lived with two sides of herself for a long time.

"Would you tell me how it happened? Maybe I could help."

Caitlin shook her head quickly. "You are here to work on you. You have enough problems to deal with…no offense. I just mean the reason you are here is you, not to focus on anything else."

Kara chuckled a bit.

"Do you have any idea how much I would love to help someone and not feel like a patient all the time? I feel useless here. I won't tell Barry, I won't tell anyone. Answer a question for me. When Barry realized he had his powers, was he scared of them?"

Caitlin smiled, remembering that time when everything had been simple, no Thawne No Zoom, just her, Cisco and Barry, saving the world.

"He loved them. He would play around so much in the beginning, work so hard to get better, to save more people. He was so happy, it was contagious."

Kara had expected as much. "That's why he will never understand. No one on Earth understands better than I do what it is like, having powers that scare the hell out of you, make you feel like a different person, a person you don't recognize or like. Please Caitlin, let me try and help you. Mom and Dad may be able to get rid of these powers but if they can't, you are going to have to learn to control them, so they don't control you. That is what Dante always told me."

Caitlin sat for a moment, looking at the floor, then her hand. Then she began telling Kara her version of what happened.

Kara had heard Barry's version of events but never heard it from Caitlin's point of view. She listened to the woman for an hour, her heart breaking over what she had been through.

"So it is possible the gene was a result of the particle accelerator explosion but never activated until a couple months ago, after everything with Zoom was nearing the end." she guessed.

"Yeah," Caitlin admitted, "I suppose it is possible but if it had to do with emotions why didn't it activate when Ronnie died, or died the second time? Why not when I was betrayed by my mentor?"

"Maybe Zoom was your breaking point. Maybe you finally had enough and decided to stop feeling like a victim or helpless. It could be why only anger seems to bring it out. Can I tell you a story?"

Caitlin nodded her head slightly, wondering if she should. Kara's stories were sometimes best talked about in therapy, but she wanted to hear it. She wanted to know, really know the woman she had been treating and not just the addict.

"After I landed of course, I was going to school, working on my heat vision, things like that. Dante worked with me a lot. At first, I had to make myself angry or afraid for it to work. We exercised it, like a muscle, starting and stopping repeatedly. I hated it, but it was something I needed to learn.

After couple months Hank Henshaw found us. Me and Alex came back from the beach and DEO agents surrounded us, Mom and Dad were in our house with Clark, guns to their heads."

Caitlin shivered at the thought of what that must have been like for the family.

"The guys, they saved us, killed the DEO agents except for Henshaw. When I saw he was alone I attacked him. I used my heat vision for the first time with the intent to harm someone, to kill someone. I crushed his bones to make him feel pain and I burned his arm off. Yeah, I had thought of anger before to activate my heat vision but this time it wasn't just anger, it was hate. I hated myself, hated my birth parents, hated the universe, hated whatever high power had done this to me and I definitely hated him."

Caitlin tried to swallow but her mouth was very dry. Kara was lost, lost in the past and Dr. Snow desperately wished she hadn't brought this up. But still…she couldn't stop herself from listening.

"I wanted so badly to kill him. I was 13 and I wanted him to suffer. I don't remember much after that. I remember Alex's hand on my shoulder, asking me not to. She was the only one who could break through to me.

The point of this, is that something woke up inside me. A monster that refused to be a victim any longer. I struggled everyday with who I had become. It was at that moment, I knew I would never be the same. I never had a problem using my heat vision again. Sure, I couldn't control the temperature but bringing it out, using it as a weapon, I never had a problem. Dante taught me how to really control it. I can help you. If my parents can't help you get rid of these powers you are going to have to learn to control them before they control you. All that anger and pain inside of you, if you keep it hid, you are going to become me, Caitlin, and that is someone you don't want to be. Look where it has gotten me. That's why you feel like a different person. The powers are just another side of you. I can help you. Let me."

Caitlin took a deep breath, knowing she was probably right. But still…

"When are we supposed to work on this? You can't do this, Kara. You must take your pills. All of them are given to you for a reason, meaning you need sleep."

"Then we can tell Alex. She won't say anything, and she has a pretty good idea about controlling powers. She helped me keep mine under control for a long time. Every morning instead of sleeping till 10 AM, I will get up at 6. I need exercise and fresh air. The three of us can go for walks in the forest. With my powers gone and Alex with me, no one is going to worry about me running off. When we are alone, we can work on them."

The woman shook her head. "Bruce has cameras all over the place, especially in the forest around this compound."

"That Alex can have Kelex easily manipulate. What do you say? I need this, you need this."

Caitlin met her eyes and nodded slightly. "Only under certain conditions."

"Name them."

"You never, ever spit a pill out again and don't miss any medication again. They are given to you for a reason. If you start spitting them out, any trust your family has begun to give you will be destroyed. They don't deserve that, do they?"

The blonde shook her head, her cheeks turning red.

"You don't deserve it either. You have gone through hell yourself to get where you are. Don't screw it up. If you keep taking your meds and doing what you are supposed to do then yes, we can do this. I won't take chances with your recovery."

"Recovery?" Kara asked, a bit humored at that term.

"Yes, that is exactly what this is. A disease destroyed you and you are recovering. It may have been a disease you brought onto yourself, but it is still a disease. If I think this is interfering I end it, got it?"

"Whatever you say, promise. No more skipping sleeping pills."

"And you ask your parents if you can. If they say no, then its no."

"Agreed."

Caitlin nodded, satisfied that she seemed to be genuine.

"Then go get some sleep and maybe I won't tell anyone that you didn't take a pill."

Kara smiled and snapped a salute than walked out quickly. Caitlin watched her go, not sure how to feel. Tonight was the first time she had spoken to Kara Danvers, really talked to her about things besides how she was feeling. Like this, alone, she seemed like any other girl, one who looked very tired but not someone Caitlin would be afraid of.

But Caitlin was not fooled. Kara had a long way to go before she would become someone who wasn't dangerous. Even without her powers and her desire to get better, Caitlin knew that Kara Danvers could be a very dangerous person. She had trained for years not just with her superpowers and knew the girl could be deadly in a fight, super powered or not.

But so could she. That was what scared her the most. Becoming Killer Frost and possibly becoming in a way, like Supergirl, was the worst thing she could imagine happening.

The next afternoon, Eliza and Kara, who had finally woken up around noon, were holding hands and quietly walking through the surrounding forest, on the lookout for wildlife.

"It's been a while since we have done this. I missed our walks." Eliza told her.

"I miss being able to see birds from miles away, nesting. As much as I hated my powers, they did have some benefit." Kara grumbled.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I am walking through mud. Why do I feel so…slow? I get that my powers are gone, I'm used to that, but my body doesn't feel right. I tried to hit the training dummy yesterday and couldn't get into a rhythm. Am I going to always feel like this?" she asked.

Eliza squeezed her hand. "For a while until we can get everything right. You may have to deal with some sluggishness for the rest of your life. Or some other side effect. We are going to work to make your medicines as effective as possible but no drug, especially those that affect the mind, are perfect. Kara…I wouldn't be jealous."

That statement caught Kara off guard.

"Jealous? What do you mean?"

"I mean it's okay to love your mother."

"You are my mother." she told her quickly.

"Yes I am. I always will be. It's okay to love her too." Eliza said, not needing to say who her was. "She loved you. I know I will always be grateful to her. She did everything in her power to bring you to me. You haven't really talked about Alura, have you?"

Kara shook her head.

"Leslie brought it up in therapy, but honestly I don't know what to feel. I…if there is an afterlife…if she is really with me, watching over me, the things I have said about her…The way I have felt about her…I guess I am just scared to think about it too much. That would bring guilt and I don't want to feel guilty about anything else right now. I know I will have to deal with it one day, but I am just not ready."

Eliza stopped walking and pulled Kara towards her.

"She would understand. You didn't know the whole story. You didn't know what she did for you. Now you do, and I know you don't hate her if you are talking about feeling guilty. She would understand. I promise you, there is an afterlife and she has been watching you, looking out for you."

Kara smiled and looked to the sky. "She must be real proud of what she has seen."

"Yes, she has been proud of some of the things she has seen, and others have probably made her cry. She did what I would have done. She protected her child. You have always said the family comes first even before the world. That's what she did. Jeremiah and I, we will never forget the day you asked us if you could call us Mom and Dad. Jeremiah cried for an hour on the beach. But that was not the first time you called me Mom."

Kara remembered that day well. She had watched Clark playing with Jeremiah, calling out Daddy every five seconds and laughing, while trying to avoid being tickled. The blonde had felt an overwhelming sense of jealousy and sadness. That night while Alex showered, and Clark was asleep, she asked them, nervously of course and in the most awkward fashion ever. That was just the way Kara handled situations like that one.

"When did I call you Mom before that?"

"You actually called me Mommy. You had a nightmare, but you didn't scream and wake Alex. Instead you came to our room. You were still half asleep, but you said, Mommy, I'm scared. Can I sleep with you? I held you so tight that night."

"I don't remember." Kara admitted.

"I do. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. Kara, you know I have a habit of checking on you every night, right?"

Kara cringed inwardly, not having expected this.

"Yeah, whenever I slept over you would still wake up and check my arms…why?"

"Because when you are near me, I still do. It's like a magnet wakes me up and pulls me to you. So, imagine my surprise when you weren't in bed at 3 AM."

Her suspicions had been confirmed. She had been busted.

"Yeah, I wanted some time to myself, just to kind of think and relax. I didn't go up top or anything. I just went for a walk."

"Did the sleeping pills not work last night?" Eliza asked, sounding casual but Kara knew better.

She decided there was no point in lying. She had done that enough to the woman.

"I didn't take it."

Eliza placed her hands on both of Kara's shoulders and faced her.

"The nurses are supposed to watch you take your pills."

"She did." the girl admitted. "and when she left I spit out the sedative. I took the others though. I just didn't want to go to sleep right away."

The mother understood, expecting as much. She was pleased Kara had been honest. The trust wasn't there, not yet. Eliza would watch Kara, like she did when she was 14 and 15 for a while but at least this was a start.

"Thank you for being honest. That means a lot to me."

Kara smiled but it was short lived.

"If you ever spit out another pill I will force feed them to you myself. Understand?"

Kara nodded quickly, knowing the woman meant it.

"Good. In my wanderings, searching for my missing daughter, I found you in our lab with Caitlin Snow. You saw her, didn't you? You saw her…problem?"

"Yeah," Kara admitted. "I saw her hand turn to ice. I talked to her about it. I think it's great what you and Dad are doing but if you can't get rid of the metahuman gene…"

"No."

"But…"

"I said no. You are here to work on you. Your father and I will figure this out. This is not something for you to worry about."

Kara persisted. "I can help her. I helped Clark. You trusted me…but you don't trust me now, do you?"

Eliza took her hands off Kara's shoulders and grabbed her hand instead, continuing their walk.

"Trust will come, Kara. You are 24 and I will treat you like you are 14 for a while. Do I think you could help her? Absolutely. But not now, not at this time. If she told you the story she told us, then you know these powers, they come from somewhere dark, a place in her heart that she will have to come to terms with. You can't look into that darkness. You aren't ready to go there, Kara. You are still trying to climb out of your own darkness. You can't dive into hers."

Kara shook her head. "The woman has done a lot for us, for me. I can't let her do this alone."

"I know. That's why Dante will be coming here. You can meditate, teach her the things he taught you, but when it comes to her tapping her power, that must be him. He taught you to come to grips with yours and he will teach her. I am not saying you should abandon her. But when it comes to control that is him. You can't control your darkness yet, Kara. How are you supposed to help control hers?"

The Blonde knew her mother was probably right, but she had promised.

"I need to feel like I am helping someone. This is the only way I know how I can do that." she argued.

"I understand, but not now. Be present but Dante takes the lead and Alex will help if needed. You can't do anything to jeopardize your recovery. I called him this morning and already talked to Caitlin. He will be here this afternoon. I am so glad you two reconciled. I don't suppose you will ever tell anyone what the split was about?"

Kara shook her head.

"It was just another one of my lows, probably one of the lowest things I have ever done. I don't want to think about it, much less talk about it."

Eliza didn't push, instead steering the girl back towards the cabin. She had hoped to find some sort of wildlife, something to put a smile on her daughter's face but with Kara feeling sluggish and making a lot of noise on top of them talking, that idea was probably not the best. In all honesty, Eliza just wanted to get her from that base and enjoy some sunshine.

"I have a surprise for you." Eliza told her as the cabin came into sight. "Your glasses are in the cabin. Leslie thinks it might be a good idea for you to take a field trip, see a little of the world again."

Kara stiffened immediately. She should have been happy, but the girl had been in the Black for so long the idea of facing the real world was not appealing.

"I'm not ready for that." Kara told her, anxiety obvious in her voice.

Eliza understood and had sort of expected this reaction.

"I'm not throwing you to the wolves. Just for an hour, have a healthy lunch that comes from a restaurant instead of a cafeteria. Alex is already in Louisville. She is going to be with you the entire time."

Kara was still not sure. The anxiety meds had helped but now she would be taking a brief trip to the real world. Even with Alex there…

"How did Alex get there? Did her jet land? I thought we only flew those in at night? I know Bruce has been gone for days with his."

"She got a ride from a friend. Here he is now." the mother said, hoping his appearance might help her relax.

Kara could not keep up with him, without her super eyesight and quick reflexes. She barely saw the streak but just like that, Barry was there in front of her.

"I'll take it slow, no burning clothes."

Kara shook her head, having a hard time believing he was there.

"You said you were working this weekend."

"Yeah and I worked yesterday. Today I brought Clark back, carried Alex to Louisville where she is waiting for you and am now back to get you. I should charge fares. You ride for free though."

Before Kara could say another word, her glasses were on her face and she was in his arms.

"What do you say Miss Danvers? Ice cream with a salad? You can't eat healthy all the time." Barry pointed out. Eliza disagreed but it was to no avail. Kara nodded and smiled and the two were off. This time, instead of looking where they were going, she simply closed her eyes and enjoyed the ride.

Two minutes later they arrived at the park he had left Alex. Barry grabbed a bag from Alex's hand and was gone, back in ten seconds, dressed normally, casually, jeans, and black button-down shirt. Perhaps the DEO was rubbing off on him.

"You okay?" Alex asked Kara, who was staring wide eyed at the city in front of her. They were on the outskirts in a park that was somewhat deserted, so there was no one around.

Kara took in the high-rises in downtown. She couldn't hear the millions of voices floating towards her, she didn't have to drown out most and concentrate on one or two.

"I guess. I haven't been around people, I mean, strangers, you know? It's been a while? I don't know if I should do this. I don't feel that great. My body feels kind go sluggish and I don't know…"

"Are you nervous?" Alex asked, watching her closely.

Kara just nodded her head. She didn't feel close to having a panic attack. The meds seemed to be working on that front. Still she did sense in the back of her mind a foreboding almost, that reminded her of the first time she went school shopping and was surrounded by thousands.

"Okay, let's go back." Alex decided. We can always try this again another time."

"No!" Kara told her quickly. Screw that. I am tired of being afraid. We can go for a while. But I wasn't kidding when I said I felt tired. I don't know if my body is up for a long walk to get to the city."

Alex smiled at her and ran her fingers through Kara's hair, brushing a strand off her shoulder. She hadn't seen her sister in glasses in a long time it seemed.

"We don't have to walk. Our ride should be here any second."

Barry hadn't been told of this development. "You called a cab?"

"Better." Alex replied with a wink. On cue it seemed a stretch limo pulled up, and Bruce Wayne stepped out.

"Who is ready to see the city?" he asked. "I've never spent time in Louisville. I'm looking forward to it."

Barry internally groaned but kept a smile on his face. He stepped up and took Kara's hand.

"Can't wait." he replied. "It's been a few weeks since I have been in a limo."


	21. Chapter 21

Do not own CW or DC characters.

 **Chapter 21 Foundations**

The limo drove slowly through the city, Kara holding Alex's hand to the point of nearly breaking it. The blonde had forgotten how many people were in the world, being confined to her own little underground world for what seemed like years but was just a little over a month.

"You okay?" Alex asked her. Had Kara had her powers, Alex's hand would have been crushed. It also didn't escape her attention that her sister was shivering.

"Yeah…I forgot, I guess. I forgot what the world…I haven't been gone long but…it just seems different."

"It will for a while." Alex told her. "Remember the first time we went to the Mall? You were pretty freaked out then, but you…what was it you said? You had to acclimate."

Kara remembered. "I really liked that word. It sucked when you told me no one used it in conversations. There is a bar close by."

Alex looked out of the window quickly, wondering if Bruce had made some idiotic decision to take her down a street filled with nightclubs and bars. Instead she saw nothing but shops and restaurants.

"Where?"

"On the wall, next to the alley we just passed, a symbol was painted. The triple circle with the dagger through it. It's a symbol, letting Aliens know there is a bar nearby. If you go down the alley you will see other graffiti. The police think they are gang symbols, but they aren't. It will be directions in whatever alien language the owner of the bar speaks. The circle with the dagger means no drugs are sold. That means the owners either sell the drugs they supply with no competition under threat of death or they aren't selling, and they don't want turf wars between rival factions over the bar."

Alex sat back, Kara's hand still crushing hers, and wondered not for the first time, how deeply Kara was imbedded in the alien drug scene. She obviously knew quite a bit about it.

"Let's avoid that trip down memory lane, okay? Where would you like to go for lunch? Bruce is paying so let's take advantage." the older sister suggested. She would not admit it, but this was strange for her as well. Like Kara, it seemed ages okay that her little sister had woken up and screamed at all of them for kidnapping her, and Alex had seen what Kara was like under the alcohol. She was able to maintain some sort of sanity while drinking and apparently using drugs but once they were taken out, all she saw was a desperate, angry young woman, who wanted nothing to do with the world she saved, but lived in it anyway, suffering.

"Yeah…I don't want to eat in a restaurant. I don't want to be around people…this time. I know I will have to eventually…"

"It's okay. We don't have to. We can go to the botanical gardens, maybe?"

"Not…not this time. Can we just pick up some drive thru and go back? Do I need to darken my hair? What color are my eyes?"

"Kara," Bruce interrupted from the seats facing the two sisters, next to a quiet Barry. "I'll have four Danvers sisters' favorites brought up to the Penthouse. We will take a private elevator up. I booked it for today, thinking the two of you could spend a little time away from the lab and I could get to know Barry better. Alfred is already there."

Kara let out a breath and smiled in relief. She didn't necessarily want to rush back but being surrounded by the world was starting to get to her. "Thanks Bruce."

Barry did his best not to be bothered by Bruce Wayne knowing exactly what Kara and Alex liked. But why wouldn't he? It seemed everyone in her life knew Kara better than he did, even after what he had learned. When J'onn turned into a T Rex during training the day before one of the guys had called it an Alex special. Had he done it to her or did she challenge him to imitate a dinosaur once?

Somehow Barry was not surprised when the limo pulled into an underground parking garage and the four entered a large private elevator that went to the top of the very tall hotel. The elevator opened into a room three times the size of Barry's old apartment.

"Wow." the Flash whispered. Despite his conviction that he would not be impressed, he was wrong. A man he recognized from the Block walked up to them.

"The takeout is here, Master Bruce, complete with enormous amounts of Ketchup and grease. I have prepared the patio table. It's a lovely day for dining outside."

"Thanks Alfred. If you and Bruce keep this up I may forgive you both for drugging and kidnapping me." Kara told him.

Alfred shook his head. "You are really going to have to let that go one day, Kara."

The four walked outside where a large blue pool and hot tub resided, overlooking the city. On a glass table near the pool resided four paper bags from In and Out Burger.

He said nothing as they sat down, all of them eating while he, Bruce and Alex, watched Kara and her appetite without trying to be too obvious about it. Barry noted she was eating slowly, not exactly tearing into the food, but seemed to enjoy it.

Nothing was said for a few minutes, just the sounds of chewing while Barry contemplated on the events of his life that led to him eating greasy cheeseburgers with the richest man in the world in a Penthouse suite in Louisville, Kentucky.

Then a French fry covered in ketchup hit Alex on the cheek and stuck there.

He watched Kara continue eating to hide a smile, while Alex peeled off the fry and ate it herself. A few moments later a similar fry hit Kara's forehead, just above her glasses.

"Please don't.' Bruce whispered, but it was too late. The sisters had started a war, fries flying across the able, finally ending with a box the items had been in formerly, hitting Kara in the head. To Barry's slight disgust, they began cleaning up the mess by eating the fries that landed on the table and their faces.

"Excuse me, children." Alfred interrupted. "If the two of you are feeling comfortable still, your swim suits are in the bedroom. Eliza has had discreet female employees of Wayne Enterprises packing up your belongings in National City and having them moved to Midvale. I thought you two may pack some bags and have fresher clothes before you return to the lab."

"Thanks Alfred." Alex told him gratefully. Though she spent much of her work life wearing black and most of her other life wearing indestructible bronze material and flexible armor, she did miss her favorite jeans.

Kara gave Barry a shy grin and followed Alex to the bedroom. A few minutes later, after ten minutes of small talk from Bruce about the weather and the view of the city, the girls walked back up. Barry's mouth nearly dropped open, seeing Kara in the black, small bikini, matching Alex's.

"Good job, Barry. Your jaw didn't drop. I am impressed." Bruce told him humorously.

"Yeah…I…she…I mean they…yeah those are nice suits. Uh…I was just surprised…kind of caught me…"

"Would you come inside with me Barry? Just for a moment. There is something I would very much like to talk to you about."

Bruce stood and walked inside, Barry following, thinking this could be about many things and probably about something he had never thought of. The two sat on two recliners looking out the glass wall that led to the pool.

Now he had to keep his eyes off the pool and pay attention to Bruce Wayne.

"How is the training going?" Bruce started.

"What? What…"

"Kara isn't the only one with a supercomputer, Barry. I keep an eye on everything, threats and potential allies. The work you are doing with the four men in National City, it is going well?"

"Yeah. It's helped me out a lot. I've learned a lot about aliens and I think I am getting stronger. The fighting techniques…"

"Have you learned how to break a wall with your fist?" Bruce asked.

That surprised the man. Maybe Bruce didn't know everything about his powers.

"I can't do that. I could with enough distance, but the chances are I would break every bone in my hand if I don't hit it just right. I don't have super strength."

"Are you sure? You can control your cells, vibrate them at a rate that you become intangible, able to make yourself and others move through walls. You can also do the reverse. You can make yourself denser. You won't ever hit as hard as Kara did, but you can strike with much more power. I think when you get back to S.T.A.R. if you can continue to investigate this Speedforce, you will realize there is a lot you can do. I have had Brother Eye running multiple theories and feasibility studies on potential uses for your powers you haven't discovered yet. Have you learned how to beat the speed dampening technology?"

"No…"

"When you are ready, let me know. If I am right, I think it would be quite easy for you. You have many skills you have not discovered. There is much more to you than running fast and throwing lightning."

Barry looked at him suspiciously.

"Have you been spying on me?"

"Watching. I have been watching your adventures on the news for a while, since you made your presence known to the public. Have I been spying on you in your private life? No. But I have watched the Flash. The world, not just Central City, is going to need you more than ever, Barry. You are going to need help. I suppose Kara has mentioned to you that I am interested in putting together a team of special individuals to battle threats to this world, threats that Kara would have handled on her own. Truthfully, I have wanted a team to fight beside her for a while. Alex and I aren't enough, not for some of the battles she could have faced in the future. I want you to be a part of that team, Barry."

Barry was not surprised, but hearing it still took him off guard. He had suspected something like this for a while, ever since the training with the DEO agents had begun. The fact that he knew about it and the DEO didn't, told him those guys at the top of the DEO were more loyal to Bruce Wayne, than the Government itself.

"Who is on this team?" he asked.

"So far, I have a Martian, and I hope you. I also recently met a woman who is immortal, very strong, very fast and has one hell of a lie detector. She will be joining us. J'onn and I plan to make contact with a man who is also very strong and can swim incredibly well. I believe he can control water, but I am not sure of the extent of his powers. That is all I have for now and truthfully all I want. The team needs to be small, at least for now. It needs a foundation first, one you can be a major building block in."

The Flash thought of this and was surprised. He had figured Bruce would already have everything in place.

"You don't want Oliver…"

"I don't want Oliver Queen anywhere near this team. Kara and I have disagreed many times in the past over how to deal with those we deem threats but one thing I do agree with her is that there was never an excuse for Oliver Queen to protect Malcolm Merlyn. He has his own code and his own team. His sense of justice and ours differ. I do not like the things he has done in the past, namely going after high profile targets and giving them a chance to right their own wrongs while killing bodyguards who never committed the sins of the men they were paid to protect. I don't believe in killing in most cases, but Kara does and from the battles she has had to fight it is understandable. The killing is not what bothers me about Oliver Queen. Honestly, I could care less. It's his code I don't like. I have no problem with his decision not to kill Merlyn but letting him free and protecting him was very much against my code. I am not perfect Barry, but I will never lie to you. Can he say the same?"

Barry didn't dwell on this much. It did not surprise him that Batman would not like Oliver Queen and the reasons made sense he supposed. Bruce had killed aliens and Kara had killed humans. They also lived by the same codes despite their differences on dealing with enemies. Barry was still trying to figure out what his code was or even if he had one. Recent events had caused him to rethink everything.

"So, you will lead this team?"

Bruce laughed.

"No. I am not the man to lead this team. I will fight with this team and I will pay for this team, but leadership is not my thing. I have worked with a select group, people like Kara and Alex if I worked with anyone in the past. In other words, people I have complete faith in. I have too much darkness to be a leader, Barry. So, does Kara. It's why she was always so resistant to my plan. She doesn't want to lead, and she is not a follower. J'onn is a natural leader. So is the woman I met in Paris. I don't know enough about her yet, but I know she was willing to kill me if she had found I hurt Kara. She is a good person. She will join us. I need you on board, Barry. The base of this team must have selfless heroes, those who fight for no other reason than it is the right thing to do. You, Diana Prince, J'onn…I believe you three can be that inspiration, be the ones fighting in the light, while I handle the darkness. This world is going to need hope, Barry. Rumors have already started. Where is Supergirl? The entire world wants to know, and it has only been a week since her last appearance."

Barry knew this. As J'onn had made fewer and fewer appearances, he suddenly stopped mimicking her, coming to help people in his true form. His appearance and Supergirl's disappearance from the spotlight was coming under heavy scrutiny.

"I noticed there were no newspapers inside, and I bet the television is having cable problems, right?" he guessed.

"She doesn't need to worry. By the time she is ready to go to Midvale the world will have hopefully began following the exploits of this team. I am not suggesting we live together in a dorm house. I only want us to work together when the need arises, when one of us needs help, we all come. We train together, we fight together. You have your team, your friends. They are a part of you and being the protector of Central City. But when bigger problems than Central City metas occur, we all need to be on the same page. One unit, one team, one support structure."

Barry thought of this, wondering how Cisco and Caitlin would take it. He suspected Caitlin would not care but Cisco…he could imagine the backlash he would get if he told his friend there was a threat to this world and he needed to join his other team and would be back when it was over.

"I need to think this over."

Bruce nodded, not surprised. "Take all the time you need. You have been a very good friend to Kara. You haven't been put off by what you have learned about her. I am glad about that. She needs a friend like you."

Barry was taken back by that. He wasn't sure what Bruce Wayne's opinion was of his relationship with Kara.

"Yeah, she is a good person. Her and Alex…I wouldn't leave…you seem to know a lot about them." Barry finished, taking the conversation in another direction.

"I have known them since Kara was 18. Can you imagine my surprise when I met her? I was very worried when she first showed herself to the world. It was then that I realized there were enemies out there that I could not stop, that no one could stop. She scared me. Then one night the Danvers sisters show up at my door, asking me for help. I saw them for what they were. Young kids, older than their years, good people, people who loved and were loyal, people that only wanted to help. That someone with her power would not only ask me to help her but trust me with the means to stop her, offering her friendship…it blew my mind. I was there when Alex took out a living computer and Kara killed a White Martian then her uncle. The crew those two had, J'onn, the men training you, Lobo, the most unlikely team and yet all loyal to those two girls. It's hard not to get involved in their world. They have a way of growing on you. You can understand that."

"Yeah." Barry admitted he could. "Alex and she are very close, closer than any two people I have ever known. I guess the four of you are tight. I know her and Dick…but you seem to do a lot for them. You built an underground lab dedicated to helping her."

"Yes, we are close." he agreed. "They are like the little sisters I never wanted."

"Little sisters?" Barry asked, hoping he had heard that right.

The doubt must have been obvious in his voice because Bruce seemed confused at first, then smiled, even laughed. To say the Flash was shocked to see Batman laughing would be an understatement.

"Barry, have you been listening to Clark?" the man asked, trying to calm himself. "Please don't. He did the blonde, young, trophy wife thing again, didn't he? He pulled that on Jeremiah last year and the man wouldn't talk to me for a month. Of all that boy's powers, it's his ability to start trouble that is the greatest threat he poses to mankind."

Barry started laughing as well, though he wasn't feeling amused. Embarrassed perhaps but not amused.

"Of course I didn't listen to Clark. I just figured you would say friends or…yeah, that Clark, he does have a way of winding…other people up I would bet. But no, not me. I wouldn't fall for some eleven-year-old, screwing around."

Bruce was not fooled but let it go. Clark did have a mischievous streak as big as Kara's temper.

"There are swim trunks in the bathroom if you want to join them. Looks like they are going to the hot tub. Also, if you are interested, tomorrow night, I could use your unique skills."

That caught the Flash's attention.

"In what way?"

Bruce stopped smiling, his face becoming very serious, very quickly, making Barry wonder if his show of humor was as much a disguise as Kara's glasses.

"I have been somewhat remiss in my duties. I do my part to limit the number of drugs on the street by putting labs and warehouses out of business before the drugs hit the street. I have not done the same for alien drugs. The idea never occurred to me. Seeing what they did to Kara, has me thinking quite a bit about them. I believe there is a manufacturing lab for various alien narcotics in Gotham. I would very much like to burn it down and hand the perpetrators over to Jack Webb's organization. There will possibly be some aliens who are very fast and I would not be able to keep up with when they run, and they will run. The ones inside who can't get away, I can handle. I need you to catch the ones that escape. Team aside, how does that sound?"

Barry looked outside, seeing Kara laughing at something Alex said in the hot tub.

"Yeah, that seems like something I could take personally. I'm in."

"Excellent. Go join them. I have some preparations to make. You will have a briefing packet given to you in the morning before you leave by Alfred, detailing what species we will be facing and the layout of the lab."

Bruce watched Barry retreat to the bathroom and stood up himself, casually strolling past Alfred in the kitchen to the master suite. Inside he took off his suit coat and tossed it on the bed. Without turning, he greeted her.

"I was wondering how long it would be until I heard from you. You must be good to get past Alfred."

Diana Prince stood in the corner of the room to the right of the door, arms crossed and a grin on her face.

"But I suppose I couldn't fool you?"

Bruce shook his head and turned to look at her. She was dressed much more casually today, if tan leather pants and a red leather jacket could be casual. A far cry from the designer dress she wore at work.

"Yes, you would have. I just guessed you would be here, watching. If I came inside the bedroom and greeted you without looking and I was wrong, there would be no one around to know I was wrong. A win win situation for me. So, are you satisfied? She isn't imprisoned as you can see."

"I never doubted she was. I told you, you had no choice but to tell the truth. I came to Kentucky…"

"The morning after I met you. I saw the flight plan." Bruce finished.

"I wanted to speak to her but showing up at your cabin in the woods would not have been the best plan either. I doubt your security would have let me in and ripping off the elevator doors and jumping down the shaft would have had her prepared to battle an invasion. Instead I waited for you to reserve the penthouse at the finest hotel Louisville has to offer and here you are."

"Here I am." Bruce agreed. "So, the last time we saw each other, you were manhandling me like a chew toy and kicking me out of the largest museum in the world. Something tells me you aren't here to apologize. I suppose you have given some thought to my proposal?"

Diana walked past Bruce to the window on the opposite wall, taking in the East side of the city. Her hotel room was one level below with her weapons, within easy reach. Not that she feared Bruce Wayne but the security he had at his underground lab and the surrounding area was impressive. He no doubt had a plan if she arrived and she would prefer not to destroy a hotel. Then again, perhaps he did not have a plan. The man knew she wouldn't follow him with the intention of killing him. She could have done that before he left Paris. He was waiting for her to join him, not attack him.

"Who is the boy?"

Bruce shook his head.

"I'm sorry?"

"The boy? I know you did not invite Kara's boyfriend for a playdate and I know Alex is gay. I am sure he is a friend of Kara's and wants to be more, judging by his eyes, but that is not why you brought him here. There is a landing zone, a very small one a half mile from the cabin. You bring her therapist in by helicopter multiple times, always at night, always quietly. Why does he have access to the base? How did you get her here without the chopper? Who is he? No lies. I do not feel like retrieving my lasso."

"I have no doubt you have taken a snapshot on your phone and can find out easily enough. His name is Barry Allen."

Diana nodded her head.

"The Flash. Why is he here?"

"He and Kara are friends." Bruce explained, somehow not surprised that she knew. Diana Prince knew quite a bit about the world of masked heroes apparently in addition to Kara Danvers. "They go way back, before Supergirl and the Flash were known to the world."

"And you need him." Diana concluded. "Kara did not look to the suite once during lunch though I know she should have heard my heartbeat. She didn't. She has not only quit but found a way to get rid of her powers. Now you need the Flash."

"I'm not trying to buy a private army, Diana. The world needs the Flash. He has not begun to reach his potential yet. He will never have the same powers Kara had but he could be just as powerful. No matter what you think, this team is needed. The papers all over the world are already asking where is Supergirl and it hasn't been a week yet. J'onn is doing the best he can but people are not going to warm up to a Green Martian as quickly as they warmed up to a blonde teenage girl next door. I am not worried about the rise in crime that could happen, I am worried that one of the thousands of aliens living on this planet sends out word that Supergirl is gone and every warlord in the Universe thinks Earth is fair game."

Diana turned back to Bruce, and crossed her arms once again her expression neutral, even stoic.

"This team, the one you want me to be a part of, you plan to lead it?"

"No, I want you to lead it. I don't know much about you, but I do know you have known battle and you were willing to kill the richest man in the world in a very public place because you thought I had harmed a girl you only knew for a few months four years ago. Whoever you are, Diana Prince, whatever you are, alien, god, metahuman, my gut is telling me that you are the person who can bring this team together. It doesn't work without you. I can fund, I can fight, J'onn and I can strategize but you can be the heart, a heart this group will desperately need if it is going to work. If it doesn't work, Kara will find a way to come back. You weren't lying when you said I failed her. I failed both of them. I don't want to fail them again and failing the world is the same thing in Kara and Alex's mind."

Diana took a deep breath and shook her head. She hadn't made the trip to Kentucky, scouted out Bruce's hidden compound and kept up with his coming and goings because she was worried about him harming Kara or Alex. She knew when she got on the plane that she would have no choice. Steve would expect nothing less.

"I want to speak to her this week, without having to break into your underground fortress. What day would be good?"

Bruce was a bit surprised. "You don't want to speak to her now?"

The woman shook her head and bit her lip, debating briefly again what she had already decided.

"I wanted to see their faces, to see how different they are now from when I first met them. It was as I had feared. They are lovely young ladies with eyes of old warriors who have fought too long. Kara seems relaxed in the pool and is doing her best to appear playful, but she is very anxious, and it is growing. She will want to go back soon and the last thing she needs is an unknown element. Perhaps you can properly reintroduce us this week. For now, I suppose you will want to know all about me. Take her back, then return and we will discuss where this goes from here. I am in the suite below this one. I feared if I took the best you may find another hotel."

"I look forward to it, Diana. Thank you." he told her sincerely.

"Don't thank me yet. We have much to discuss. I would like to speak to this Martian, J'onn you said?"

"He will be available tonight I am sure. I believe he was coming to visit Kara tonight regardless. He can come by after she goes to sleep. If you are interested I am throwing a sort of meet and greet for us, including Barry, tomorrow night in Gotham. I would love it if you could attend."

Diana raised her eyebrow and tried not to laugh.

"A meet and greet? Will the famous Bruce Wayne bring his entourage of lovely ladies as well?"

"No." he told her, grinning. "It's going to be held in an almost abandoned section of Gotham, even gangs are terrified of entering. There is a large narcotics lab manufacturing alien drugs for distribution around the world. It is heavily fortified, many armed guards with incredibly powerful weapons and their own powers, depending on the species. My intel says it is being ran by a human who calls herself Roulette. Barry, J'onn and I plan to attack, detain as many as possible, stop those who can't be contained and burn the place to the ground. What do you say?"

Diana nodded her head.

"I would say that sounds like a fun party I would hate to miss. I think I have the perfect outfit for it."

The woman walked out of the bedroom, patted Alfred on the back, telling him good day while he tried not to jump in surprise at an unknown in the room.

Outside the girls and Barry never knew she had been there or left.

Kara was too busy trying to stay calm. The swim was nice, and the water in the hot tub felt wonderful but it also made her feel more sluggish than she had that morning. What little she did eat was threatening to come up and she desperately wanted to go to the restroom but didn't know how to do it without Alex following her and Barry realizing that Alex follows Kara to the rest room to make sure she doesn't try to cut her own throat or wrists or anything else.

She smiled at Barry, and a part of her that was not actively fighting anxiety was surprised out how muscular the slim man was and amused by how pale he was. Kara doubted Barry's torso had seen sun in a long time.

"So…this is…new." Barry started. "I guess this isn't any surprise to you two, huh?"

"Hanging out in a penthouse with Bruce Wayne?' Alex asked. "Of course not. You don't really think we needed him to beat Myriad, did you? We only wanted to be friends, so we could take advantage of his cars and yachts. Plus, Alfred is really cool."

Barry laughed softly but kept his eyes on Kara. It didn't escape his notice that even though they were side by side Alex was watching her closely as well. The blonde seemed focused on giving the illusion of complete comfort but neither of them were confused.

Kara gave up, trying to exit the hot tub in a dignified fashion and hoped Alex would take it easy on her.

"I need to go to the bathroom." she told the two and took her time standing up.

"Do…" Alex started then stopped. Kara probably wouldn't do anything to herself. But asking her if she should follow her to the bathroom would embarrass her with Barry here.

Kara not hearing anything else from Alex, took the opportunity to move quickly, nearly losing her balance due to her shaky muscles but managing not to fall. She grabbed a nearby cotton robe Alfred had provided on a table and moved as casually as possible inside. She didn't notice Bruce or Alfred watching her, instead focusing only on getting to the one places he could be alone.

Once inside with the door closed and locked, Kara let out a deep breath then another and another. She turned the water on in the sink and splashed her face, trying to prevent hyperventilating. In the past this was the surest sign of a panic attack and the only thing Kara was certain could distract her would be extreme pain or alcohol.

This time she made no such move. The meds must have been working because she was able to stare at herself in the mirror and calm her breathing eventually.

After four minutes standing before the sink, the rise and fall of her chest and her pulse rate had lessened.

She did not have a panic attack.

Before she could celebrate, she knelt before the toilet and expelled the remains of her burger and fries.

Standing shakily and rinsing her mouth out, she could feel Alex outside, not directly outside but nearby, probably waiting to hear something break and rush inside.

It hadn't happened. Kara was still frightened but she was in control. She did not feel as if the walls were about to swallow her up.

"I've pushed my luck too far today." she whispered and walked out, with a smile towards her sister who was sitting in a matching robe on a couch facing the direction Kara had been in.

"Bruce, I have had a great time, but I really want to get back. I am…getting tired." she told the man but directed it toward her sister who was already standing.

"The limo will take you three to the park you arrived in. Walk to the back and Barry can take you. I can send the chopper, but I prefer to only fly it there in the dark." Bruce told her.

"Thanks." Kara told him gratefully and grabbed the bag Alex handed her. The two entered the bedroom and dressed then found Barry dressed as well. Barry was shaking Bruce's hand and smiling and the sight of it did something to Kara, made her feel…dark.

The girl shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts away.

But on the ride to the park while Alex and Barry made small talk about music, Kara couldn't get the vision of Barry shaking Bruce's hand. It shouldn't have bothered her, but it did. The reason wasn't clear.

At least until Barry let her go from his arms at the cabin and raced back to retrieve Alex. For a moment, Kara was alone, no one around her, just nature and the sun setting in the distance. She had a moment of clarity.

She was afraid Barry would go down the same path she chose. The same path that Bruce chose, that they all did.

The last thing Kara wanted was for Barry to turn out like her or Bruce. She wasn't stupid, she knew Bruce was interested in the Flash since he was first revealed. That was no surprise. What was a surprise was realizing that Bruce was interested in Barry. Her Barry. He wasn't supposed to be the Flash.

What did that mean?

She liked Barry, felt better with him around. She laughed when he was around, and she missed him when he wasn't there. He had come back in her life and engrained himself in it quickly, even with everything going on in Kara's messed up life. Not for the first time, she wondered how things would be different now if she had called him after Myriad. Would she be the way she is? Would Barry still be the Flash? Was that both their fates?

But Kara was being told by everyone if she really wanted peace she would have to leave the saving of the world to others and live her own life, away from that one.

Did that mean that Bruce, one of her few friends, would no longer be in her life, not really? Not the way he had been. What about Barry? Barry would never give up being the Flash. Kara didn't want …she didn't know how she felt about that. All she knew was in this dark time in her life, he was one of the few bright spots that she clung to and wondered now, where it could all go, if anywhere.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked. In Kara's musings, she hadn't realized that Barry had arrived back with her and a bag of fresh clothes in her hands.

The girl took off her glasses, the blonde hair and blue eyes revealing themselves once more and smiled brightly.

"Absolutely nothing. It was good today, I'm just really, really tired."

Barry and Alex didn't appear convinced, but Kara wasn't concerned. She just wanted to get back into her underground hideaway. The blonde had not seen one newspaper or news report. The radio hadn't been on nor had the television. She saw the world, a small part of it today but had no idea what was going on.

Kara's plan to return to her room and watch Netflix was derailed as her least favorite person on the planet was waiting for her with a big grin on the residence level.

"Kara, you look like hell." Thompkins greeted her. "No makeup and hair that smells like chlorine. I love it. Shall we retire to our spot?"

"You only fly in at night. How are you here?" Kara asked. Leslie made it a habit of flying in before sunrise and sleeping, meeting with Kara then leaving after sunset.

"I flew in right after you went to bed at 5 AM. Spit out a pill, huh? Your mother was eager to tell me. Come with me and we won't be long. I just want to find out how your field trip went."

Leslie walked off, Kara looking at her sister with a defeated face and following.

Alex and Barry were alone.

"She was nervous the entire time. Today didn't go well, did it?" Barry asked.

Alex actually smiled.

"Not well? If not for those meds she would have had a full blow panic attack, but she didn't!" Alex told him excitedly. "She didn't pass out, she didn't hit herself, try and scratch herself, all she did was ask to come back! This is huge. You have no idea how huge this is. They are working! No, they aren't perfect but …I have to tell Mom and Dad and Shay and Caitlin…"

Alex stopped talking, noting the lack of excitement on Barry's face.

"Look, I know you don't understand. She was scared today. For someone that doesn't know her well, I can see how that would be disturbing. But you have never seen Kara really scared. You have no idea. Dad made her immune to Kryptonite, but he has never been able to find anything that could relieve her anxiety. We have all worked on this for years and now with Shay and Caitlin, these medications are a gift, Barry. If we had these when she arrived and if she had never…it doesn't matter. They worked in a real-world setting! She is going to get better. Therapy, the right combination of meds, this could really work, Barry."

"She hardly ate. She threw more food at you than she actually put in her mouth." he pointed out.

Alex agreed.

"Her appetite is going to go through fluctuations right now. I'm not saying it's over and she now has some magical happiness cure. I'm just saying…imagine you are in a cell and the walls are solid steel. You have a sledgehammer and for years all you have done is hit that wall, over and over and never caused a dent. Then one day, you pick up a different sledgehammer and it busts through the wall. You aren't out yet, it's just a small hole but you can see the other side and for the first time in years, something happened, something that can give you hope. That is what I saw today."

Barry could see her point. As far as Kara went he did have a rather narrow time frame to measure her behavior. Alex and her parents had a different measurement for Kara's progress because they knew her lowest points. He had only heard about them, but they lived them.

"We need to talk before she comes back. I'm guessing you are staying the night. I am also guessing you are not going back to National City or Central City in the morning."

"I was only in National City to pick…"

"Don't." Alex stopped him. "I know those guys as well as they know themselves. They aren't sitting around National City letting this happen. They are preparing just like Bruce is. You don't have to tell me because I don't want to have to lie to Kara if she asks. I am just taking a wild guess that you are doing something with high ranking members of the DEO that has nothing to do with DEO business. I also know Bruce wants you for something, probably tomorrow night and probably in Gotham or Metropolis, right?"

Barry said nothing, looking up and down the halls as if spies might be around any corner.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Come with me."

Barry easily followed her but did note that Alex was moving quicker than before. He followed her into her own quarters, as impersonal as the rest, but with just as nice a bed and television. She opened her closet and said something like thank you J'onn then pulled a bag out from it.

Barry grunted when the bag was pushed into his chest.

"Kara had Kelex begin making you a suit the afternoon she found out about you being…him. She was kind of freaked out and all over the place but Kelex told me she ordered him to start working. I am guessing you are wearing it in National City. This is one I had commissioned two weeks ago. If Bruce needs you, you are going to need something a lot tougher. You won't be fighting the Trickster, or Captain Cold anymore, Barry. You are going to be fighting enemies with Zoom level power from this point on. Only the strongest will come after you now."

Barry placed the bag on the bed and unzipped it, taking out its contents. It was like the one Connolly had given him. The boots appeared the same, the same strange bottom soles that could change grips, the fabric was just as slick, just as strong. The mask was more of a hardened case and the shoulders seemed a bit more protected. The lightning bolt designs were awesome, wrapped around the wrists of the glove, the pull over shirt and pants meeting with a lightning bolt belt that met the two pieces. He also noted some of the light weight padding was also in the legs and arms as well.

"It has a composite of armor like mine. Lightweight, flexible but will protect you from almost anything. I have taken shots from just about every alien hand held weapon you could think of in my suit and it hurts like hell but never penetrates or burns my skin. The lightning bolt over your right ear is your com with Kelex. I know you like Ramon but when you are in the field with Bruce, I'm letting Kelex be the eyes and ears. He can send you back to Ramon whenever you want but I would suggest keeping him. Suit up so I can show you what else you can do."

Barry needed no further encouragement, speeding into the new one quickly.

"This feels awesome." Barry told her. "I thought it would be heavier but it's so lightweight…"

"I know, I have one. One with a lot more weapons and a lot cooler but the same materials. Okay bolt over your left ear, press it."

Barry did so, not surprised when dark lenses covered the eye holes.

"That's an HUD display. It allows Kelex to see what you are seeing. He can give you directions and speak at a speed that will be required to give split second directions, a speed no human can speak at or would understand except you."

"So, it's like my chest camera…I mean the one on my regular suit."

"No, it isn't just a camera." Alex told him, trying not to roll her eyes. She gave him a suit designed by an alien supercomputer made from materials Earth may never have and he thinks it's just a camera?

"It has infrared, targeting, telescopic vision, microscopic vision to an extent. Kelex can analyze whatever you are looking at by scanning it through the lenses, identify people you are seeing immediately, analyze the area around you for sounds, giving you a radar of the area, eyes in the back of your head basically. I have used all of these and trust me, they are useful."

Barry shook his head, trying to take that in. He had seen Alex's Manhunter persona on television, seen her take on aliens with Kara. The weapons and suit she had were impressive. Some even speculated that she could be a metahuman to account for the force of her strikes. While she was a great fighter, Barry suspected that suit and her hand-held weapons helped pack a punch as well.

"Yeah, I will try this out. When I am in Central City, I will have to…"

"No." Alex told him.

Barry shook his head. "What do you mean no?"

"I told you when I brought her here that it could be months before you saw her. Remember that? I thought she needed to work on her without the distractions of anything or anyone else. But Mom and Dad wanted you here after they met you. You are good for her, you don't push, and you accept her for who she is. I had to agree with them. She is different around you and that is why I am glad you are in her life right now."

"Right now?" Barry asked, catching that.

Alex crossed her arms and began pacing.

"Kara decided to get away from this superhero stuff, but you are going to be in the thick of it." she told him quietly, then continued.

"You don't live in Midvale and you want to protect Central City. You want to protect the world if you are getting involved with Bruce. In the future you are going to have to prioritize some things. Kara really likes you obviously. But the better she gets, the less guarded, she is going to fall in love with you. That means if you are going to be a superhero and keep her out of it, she must know you can handle yourself. You have to come back to her and in one piece."

Barry stepped in front of Alex to stop her pacing, and to read her face, figure out what she was trying to tell him.

"Alex, are you worried because you don't think you can handle myself?"

"I've seen Kara get the hell beat out of her several times. She always wins but it hurts the same. No one is indestructible. What I am saying is I appreciate your loyalty to Cisco Ramon. I understand it. But if you are going to be a part of Kara's life you can't die, and you can't let her see you hurt. That means you wear the best. This outfit is the best. If Ramon's feelings are hurt I don't care. You go out to fight, you fight in this. I am not playing games, Barry. Your friend Vibe can name all the evil metas he wants to his heart's content but when it comes to war, you wear the best armor. We understand each other? You want to be in her life, you better protect yours. If Ramon has a problem with it, tell him I will be glad to stop by S.T.A.R. and he can take it up with me himself."

Barry took a moment, remembering his thoughts about Cisco and Caitlin when Bruce talked about this team he wants to form. What about his team? What were his plans, his priorities? Was he given these gifts to protect Central City or for something greater? He knew he wouldn't give up Kara, no matter what capacity she saw him in.

Would he be leaving behind Central City if he had to choose? What about Kara? He had nearly transferred colleges to be near her after they first met. Now she would be farther away from Central City. He would be splitting his time between working for the police department, working with Bruce's team, working with his S.T.A.R. Labs team and seeing Kara.

Something had to give. He couldn't have them all.

But one thing he wouldn't give up is Kara, and Alex was right. He never wanted to see the look on her face when she realized Zoom had broken his back, again. He wanted to be strong and that meant having the best equipment and every advantage he could get.

"I'll wear it, always." Barry promised her.

"Thank you. I kind of like you too. We will keep looking for ways to improve it, make it more offensive as you…figure out how to do new things. Let's go tell Mom and Dad the good news about the meds."

While Alex was changing Barry's wardrobe. Kara was face to face with her therapist a day early. Dr. Thompkins appeared to be in business mode, the teasing she showed in the hall, absent inside this room.

"Nelson Mandela said that there is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have been altered. Soon if you keep progressing, maybe a month or two you will be back in Midvale at the home you love. It will have been, for the most part unchanged. You will see it with new eyes though. Today you saw the world. While the world is ever changing, everyday life really isn't. People go to work, go to lunch, go for walks, jogging, drinks after work, sit in traffic, you get the idea. For the first time since you entered this place you saw that the world was still spinning. You saw everyday life. How long did it take before you were ready to run back into this hole in the ground?"

"About five seconds, maybe." Kara admitted. "Is that why you wanted me out there? To show me I wasn't ready?"

Leslie shook her head.

"There were a couple reasons. One is that Shay needed to know to what extent the antipsychotic medications were working and was not sure how to test it. I felt putting you into the world with no warning but having Bruce and your sister by your side would be a good idea. I knew they wouldn't push you, wouldn't take you to bars or crowded areas and you wouldn't run from them. I bet you wound up at some penthouse Bruce reserved. Judging by the smell of your hair there was a pool as well. Hot tub?"

"Seated 6." Kara confirmed.

"Batman's secret identity does know how to have fun. The second reason I wanted you to see a bit of the world is to realize that all the prisons you have feared your entire life on Earth are all in your head."

"My head? What do you mean?"

"When you were 13, 14, 21, ever since you have been here, you have hated labs. Your Mom and Dad told me you really didn't like hanging out at the DEO with them even though you did. You were terrified of being imprisoned. You told them you would rather be dead than kept here."

Kara nodded her head, vaguely remembering those things when she first woke up here.

"But yet weeks later and you are given the chance to take the day, get out into the world, do whatever you want, and it took you five seconds to want to come back. This place isn't your prison, Kara. Neither is the world. You want to be where you are safest and that doesn't mean a lab or a cell or the free world. You are going to have to work on what you identified today that scared you, overcome these fears and move forward if you are ever going to be truly free."

"I have been free before this." Kara argued, twisting her hands together and tapping her toes as she often did when Leslie had caught onto some snag she was about to unravel.

"No, you haven't. In Midvale you didn't like to leave the house. You went on family vacations but a big part of you always wanted to remain home and not go anywhere. In National City you were at work, the bar, your apartment or the Fortress if you weren't flying around saving people. Did you know that there was a park with a feeding zoo and a duck pond ten minutes from your building?"

"Yes, I did." the girl answered, having flown over it many times.

"Did you ever go there or just fly over it?"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders.

"Tell me what you saw that frightened you today. Tell me the most frightening thing. Was it the people around you? Were you wondering if they knew you?"

"No," Kara answered. "It wasn't that. I saw…I saw a sign…the directions for an alien bar and the first thing I wondered was if I could get away. I didn't want to, I don't want to, but I knew if I had my powers I would have left. Nothing has changed. I haven't changed."

Kara tried to hold back the tears, but they came anyway. Leslie watched her, not moving and not saying a word until the girl calmed down. She then moved her chair closer and placed a hand on Kara's.

"You have changed, Kara. You are crying because you wanted to go to a bar. That wouldn't have happened a month ago. You are also right that if you had your powers you would have left them. Now, you do want to get to Midvale, you do want to start a new life and you don't want to be afraid every time you are around alcohol, do you?"

Kara shook her head. "There won't be alcohol at home. Mom and Dad wouldn't allow it."

"Alcohol will always be somewhere. Drugs are always somewhere. You are going to have to face it before you go home. You weren't even out of a limo or hotel and you still saw enough to frighten you. This is why it is so important that you begin taking your work with the substance abuse counselor much more seriously. Some of the employees here are recovering addicts and alcoholics. People that have gone through what you are going through and fight it every day like you are going to have to. Alfred is going to start a group that meets tomorrow night and you will be there. I want you to participate but more importantly I want you to learn, learn from them. Listen to their stories, their struggles, their failures and their victories. Can you do that? Can you commit to it, really commit to it the way you have been committing to our sessions?"

Kara wiped her eyes and nodded her head with a small smile. "I will, I promise."

"Last week I wouldn't have believed you. This week, I do. See? You are making progress. Go, be with your loved ones, relax and don't spit out anymore pills or Eliza will force feed them to you. Have a good night, kid."

Kara did leave and tried to relax. Alex was in a good mood and Barry seemed relaxed and happy. Her parents were catching up with Clark and she was only poked once for a blood sample. She ate dinner, but not much. It wasn't a lack of appetite so much but the taste of the food. Or lack of. The food had been great but today and now this evening it was if it had lost its taste. Nothing tasted good or bad, just bland. Deciding she had enough for the day, Kara thanked Barry for being with her and left him with Caitlin. Alex was already asleep by 9, so Kara figured she would follow suit. She felt drained.

At 9:15, Clark and her parents entered her room.

Eliza gave Kara a cup with five pills.

"Are you my nurse tonight, Mom?" she asked humorously.

"We were coming this way to tuck you in and thought we would save the nurse a trip." Jeremiah explained.

All three were staring at her with grins.

"Thanks?" Kara offered and swallowed the pills, followed with a cup of water.

Eliza stepped up, arms crossed with a smile on her face.

"You are really going to make me do this, aren't you?"

Eliza said nothing.

Kara sighed and opened her mouth, giving the woman a look inside.

Satisfied, Eliza and Jeremiah hugged her and with a good night, left her with Clark.

"If you want to tell me how your day at the beach went you better do it quick. I have about ten minutes before I am out for the next ten hours."

The blonde climbed under the covers, a little surprised when Clark did the same next to her.

"I had fun. How was your day?"

"It was…not good. I didn't feel comfortable. Are you okay?"

Clark nodded and wrapped his arms around Kara, laying his head on her shoulder.

"I want to sleep with you tonight. You mind?"

"Of course not." the blonde told him, happily. She loved when he sought her out at night. It was usually Eliza he slept with, if anyone. She could feel her eyes getting heavier and knew she would be out soon for the night.

"I told myself, I promised myself that I wouldn't keep anything else from you. I wouldn't hide anything. I haven't had a chance to tell you, but three days ago, Leslie found out more information about what happened on Krypton before we left. She asked Kelex some questions about my DNA and it led to other things…anyway, do you want to hear?"

Clark said nothing for a moment, then told her he did.

So, Kara told him, holding nothing back, Alura's threats, her plans to get Kara off the planet no matter the cost or what she had to do including murdering her husband and setting up Clark's father. After she was done, she waited for a response from him, any response.

Finally, she heard him laugh softly.

"Clark? You okay?"

"I'm better. This is good."

"It is?"

"At least we had one relative that just wanted to protect her kid. Sounds to me like my aunt was kind of a badass. She didn't want to keep Krypton alive or smuggle the Codex off the planet. She just wanted you to live and did what she had to do to make sure it happened. That's pretty cool."

Kara squeezed him, pulling him closer and closed her eyes, grinning.

"Yeah, I guess she was kind of a badass." Kara admitted before darkness took her.

 **Gotham City, Monday Night**

Barry followed Bruce's directions and arrived on top of an old shipping building, running up it slower than he could, to not give himself away with a lightning trail. He had left the Block that morning after having breakfast with the Danvers and spent the day at Wayne Manor studying a data chip Alfred had slipped to him on his way out.

On the roof, Batman was crouched at the end of the building, looking over the massive old warehouse below and across the street. Standing next to him was J'onn Jonzz, tall, green, armored and caped. He quietly zipped next to the two. Bruce spared him a glance.

"Nice outfit." he offered.

Batman and the Martian Manhunter did not seem surprised but Barry was when a woman walked up behind him and greeted them.

The Flash, Batman and the Martian Manhunter looked her over.

"Nice outfit." the three told her.

"Thank you. Its vintage."

Diana pulled the sword from her back and smiled.

"Gentleman, shall we?"


	22. Chapter 22

Do not own DC or CW characters

A/N- If anyone is interested I am posting an edited version of Survivors on AO3. Just fixing mistakes and changing some sentences and words so it will flow better. Nothing as far as story changed.

 **Chapter 22 Introductions**

Barry Allen had worked with other heroes before. The Flash had teamed up with Firestorm, both Ronnie and Jax as well as the Arrow and his team. Working with others was nothing new to Barry.

But he was not prepared for the magnitude of the all-out assault that had just been launched. Taking orders from a woman in armor carrying a big sword, he attacked from the right side of the large warehouse, phasing through the wall as J'onn phased through the left side. Despite his determination to keep moving, no matter what, Barry stopped when the large, reinforced, solid steel doors blew open as Diana Prince entered from the front. The explosion above caught his attention when Batman jumped through the new hole and landed in the middle of the warehouse.

There was no hesitation on any of their parts, Diana, striking large K'hunds and throwing them around like rag dolls. Batman moving through a group of multicolored aliens with rifles in the middle of the room, slashing them with the large razor-sharp edges of his gloves, sliding down between them to slash their tendons, and grabbing a dropped rifle, firing with precision at targets.

J'onn began swinging, phasing through Gordanian warriors in the middle, dropping them quickly.

He saw an alien weapon fire a light pulse at Diana and thought of moving her, only to see the woman dip her head at an incredible speed and grin. Another blast came her way that she deflected back into the barrel of the rifle, causing a minor explosion. Other explosions were heard, causing Barry to turn and see Batman setting some sort of thermite on the larger creatures, that detonated seconds after placement, reminding him of the bombs he used on the Dominators.

Deciding to get into the game, Barry activated his eyewear and was given an infrared vision of the entire warehouse. It appeared there were quite a bit of explosives, large vats of unknown liquids and cases of weapons, charged with incredible energy.

"Kelex, give me a target." Barry ordered.

"Say please. I don't work for you, so you could at least be polite." the robot responded. Kara had told him the robot AI had come a long way in the sarcasm department. Apparently, she was not lying.

"Please give me a target." he conceded while those around him fought the different species, Batman continuing to slash, shoot and plant bombs while J'onn and Diana beat the hell out of larger aliens.

"Straight ahead in the back of the building. Stop the Grolls before they can grab the weapons in the crates. They are moving now, those who were sleeping are now definitely awake."

Grolls. Barry knew of them from his studies. An invading species, humanoid, no special strength levels but able to emit cerebra radiation waves.

Stay moving, he told himself. Don't give the blasts a chance to take effect, keep thinking.

The Flash blurred and ran, breaking open the door rather than phasing through it. The Grolls, even those waking up and coming to battle, were not that numerous. Only twenty-two that Barry saw, and as slow as an average human. They never saw him as he traveled through the room in seconds and hit each in the right side, just above the hip bone where the kidneys of these creatures resided. They all fell to the ground in extreme pain. The Flash circled the room once more, kicking their heads and rendering them unconscious.

"Tell me about these vats, Kelex. They look like they are a complicated chemistry set. One wrong chemical mixture and the place goes up in flames."

"Say plea…"

"Kelex!"

"Fine. Look down."

Barry did as instructed, eyes roaming the empty floors.

"Forgot about the chemistry set. Batman has handled similar potentially explosive set ups before. He can figure this out. Twenty feet in front of you, and ten paces to your right is a doorway to the underground area. You will have to phase straight down. Have you gotten far enough in your training to do this?"

Barry ignored the robot's sarcastic tone and ran to the spot. Looking down he saw an underground system through the concrete. The stairway was under him leading to a tunnel system.

The Flash blurred and let himself phase through the floor, a trick he had picked up last week. As he hit the stairs, the man solidified and zipped through the hallways into a smaller room.

"You will want to be careful." Kelex warned him. "Sometimes these places are booby trapped because Kara has shown to be slowed by large charges of electricity in the event she enters…"

Barry never heard the rest of the sentence, because as he stood, looking over the small empty room, the floor and walls electrified, sending arcs from wall to wall and along the floor. He was blown back into the hallway, dazed and in pain.

Shaking it off, Barry stood up, very glad that the suit seemed to be well insulated against electrical attacks.

"Told you." Kelex bragged, letting Barry know his electronics were still intact. Remaining solid, he zipped across the room, making sure he was blown forward instead of back and landed on the other side. His own lightning flashed in his eyes and he continued down the path, a path that led to a shipping port where a large container ship was being loaded with what he assumed were weapons and drugs. The Flash was not sure exactly what kind of aliens they were, human in appearance which narrowed it down to about twenty known races on Earth. Not including shape shifters.

They all turned towards him, but surprisingly went back to loading the crates, showing no concern.

"Stop what you are doing. This operation is closed. I will sink this ship and end all of you." the Flash warned.

"No, I don't think you will." a slim woman in a red silk dress told him, seeming amused as she walked down the gangplank. "Draaga? Take care of this."

Barry felt the hair on the back of his neck raise slightly.

The man definitely had a bad feeling about this.

Turning around and checking a corner he had missed he understood why he had a bad feeling. Standing there was a very large, very grey and very angry alien, of a species that had not been in his previous study materials.

"Oh, that's not good." Kelex told him. "That would be Draaga, former undefeated champion of the main arena on War World. Extremely strong, not very smart, and very violent."

"How do I beat him?" Barry whispered.

"Wait for J'onn." Kelex suggested.

Barry held in a growl and attacked, circling the monster easily and using speed in his punches but having little effect. The creature finally stopped trying to catch the Flash and stood still, watching the red blur circle him, and land ineffectual punches.

Having no physical effect with his strikes, Barry stood back and threw a lightning bolt into the massive alien.

Draaga still stood with what Barry swore was a smile on his face.

Deciding body shots weren't going to cut it, the Flash ran up the wall, pushed off and struck the creature in the jaw, breaking his hand and doing no damage to his enemy.

"This isn't good." Barry whispered, not grabbing his broken hand, refusing to show pain.

"I told you it wouldn't be good." Kelex reminded him. "I'm scanning his body. Looks like he has an old injury, a poorly healed tendon in his right knee. I would recommend using the hand that isn't broken and phase though his leg, severing the weak tendon. Make sure you get out of his way when he falls."

Barry moved, not giving himself time to think about the pain, turning his left hand into a buzz saw and sliding under the monster's legs, slicing his leg nearly off as he passed through. Draaga roared and hit the ground face first, the force stunning him to the point that he lay still.

The Flash stood up with grim satisfaction.

"Nice idea, Kelex."

"I have done this before. Your right hand has three fingers fractured, all metacarpals, and a small fracture of your scaphoid and lower ulna."

Barry looked at his throbbing hand, wondering how Kelex knew that. He hadn't taken the time to scan his hand with his eye lenses.

"One of them, I think my ulna, is out of place." he admitted, ignoring the aching of the fingers

"It is the Ulna. Snap it back in and keep your hand vibrating for approximately ten minutes then you should be completely healed. Also realign your ring finger metacarpal."

"How do you know this?" he asked.

"Every part of your body covered in the suit feeds real time data into my server allowing me to have a complete knowledge of your physiology at all times you are active. For example, you will most likely need to urinate in the next thirty minutes."

Barry shook off his irritation, and refocused. He had to stop these aliens from loading this ship.

The aliens were gone but the ship was still moored.

A series of screams rang out from the cargo hold. Four aliens ran, while another was thrown out by Batman who fired a gun that wrapped the fleeing aliens together in a cable. One very large K'hund was launched like a missile through the top of the ship, a golden rope catching him in the air and slamming him back down. The body was then tossed off the deck next to Barry.

"Let me see your hand."

Barry nearly jumped, not having heard J'onn behind him. Looking at him, it was obvious, the man was amused. He slowly offered his hand to the Martian who grabbed it firmly and with a squeeze and jerk, aligned the bones in Barry's hand.

"When you are fighting someone that big, sometimes all the speed in the world won't be able to knock a monster like that out. Go low, remember your battle strategies. Take out the legs first. Take out the legs, you take out the enemy. If that is impossible, phase through him and cut something on the way out, get behind him and sever his spine. Never go for brute force. Kara is…was strong enough to knock the creature unconscious with one strike. The rest of us, we must think. We can't all work on rage and brute strength alone. Study Bruce, watch Diana when you have the chance, watch me. Think of the lessons you have learned and are continuing to learn." J'onn suggested.

"Okay…"

"And never leave the team behind." Diana told him quietly. She had approached with a scowling Batman but in contrast to him, she was smiling.

"J'onn could have phased above the electrical room and damaged the circuits." she continued. "It would have saved you some pain. I could have walked through it. Luckily you were solid, and your suit is well insulated. From this point on, when we fight, we do it together. Unless absolutely necessary we stay in pairs at the least, always one of us watching the other's back. You did well. The aliens inside are neutralized and the DEO is on its way. Would you be so kind as to bring the woman being driven away at a high rate of speed in a limo, back to us? I suppose Kara's robot can give you directions."

Barry ran, finding the limo with ease, and slashing the tires, causing it to come to an abrupt stop. He opened the back door and Roulette was in front of the four in moments, a lasso around her body.

"What the hell was that?!" the woman shouted. "You can't do this! I have done nothing illegal. There is not one substance in that lab that is illegal!"

"No, but the weapons are." Bruce told her.

"They belonged to the aliens, not me. I had no idea they were there. Do you think a jury will convict me? This world is afraid of aliens. I would suggest you let me leave before I file a complaint with…"

Roulette stopped speaking when the glowing lasso squeezed her tighter.

"I did not plan this night out to listen to you whine." Diana told her. "While my friend in black records your words, you are going to tell us everything. Where the other labs around the world are, how and where all the drugs and weapons are transported, who is buying them. I am especially interested in what groups are buying the large crates of weapons. Something tells me the market for alien home defense is not that large."

Roulette thought of many things to say, many threats to promise, having the police searching for them all. She thought of talking about her power, her influence over politicians, the trouble she could cause the Batman and the Flash. She knew the tall green man was the Green Martian who had worked with Supergirl in the past but had no idea who this woman was holding the very warm rope wrapped around her.

Instead of any of that, she began talking, telling the foursome every detail of the alien weapons and drug trade, giving out names, locations, information that would get her killed, if it was discovered she talked.

Ten minutes later, Diana released her from the lasso, leaving Roulette stunned, wondering what the hell had just happened.

"Roulette, correct?" J'onn asked. "You may run and hide. I will give you a day before I let it slip to people who love to gossip that you just gave away every one of the syndicate's secrets. You might successfully go into hiding. Mongul is very good at tracking and he isn't very forgiving. I would wish you good luck but I would not mean it."

Roulette could read people and aliens well, she knew when they were bluffing and when they were dead serious. The Martian was dead serious.

"Don't tell him, anyone, please. Let me go and I will never become involved in this world again." she begged but tried to sound strong. The trembling of her lip gave away her true feelings.

"I know you won't." Batman told her, "You will be too busy running from Mongul. At least until we take him out. You won't see us again. If you survive, the next time, you will see Lobo. I suspect he isn't a fan of the alien drug trade either and lacks our restraint."

The four turned and walked slowly back to the converted warehouse. Barry stayed behind them, soaking it in. The room was littered with unconscious bodies. Some appeared to be in a vegetative state, no doubt J'onn's work. Some appeared to be brutally beaten, the cracks and craters in the floor where they lay, giving him an idea it was Diana's work. He was proud to see his Groll's were still unconscious and saw a pile of bodies, bleeding, moaning and some with burns, stacked on top of each other. He also spied bat shaped brands on their foreheads. Looking at Bruce's right hand, he noted the metal bat shaped cover that had slid over his knuckles, no doubt easily heated up. Standing in the middle of the first large area,they watched the DEO entered the large hole where the front doors had been, black combat fatigues and helmets, guns at the ready.

The female agent in front held up her hand, taking in the scene. The agents dropped their rifles but continued securing the room, as Cameron Chase removed her helmet and approached the foursome.

"I should have known you would be in the middle of this." Chase told Batman. "I suppose you have deactivated the chemical processors?"

Batman said nothing, staring at her, clenching his teeth, to prevent him from saying something rude.

"The Flash and the Martian Manhunter? Impressive crowd you are running with now. Did Alex's psycho sister finally crack? Did you take her down, Batman? Or did you find another female alien in a skirt more attractive?" she finished, looking Diana over.

Bruce calmed himself, focused on his breathing and reminded himself that there would be no honor in taking her down and she was not a threat.

"I thought the Gotham branch would be here. I am surprised to see you in the field Deputy Director. Did you run out of papers to push in Metropolis?" he asked.

The sarcastic grin that had been on Chase's face was gone.

"And here I was, very concerned and you are being rude? Is Alex okay? Is Kara too drunk to accompany you tonight? Or did she try to off herself and Alex is playing nurse again?"

Diana stepped up and looked down on the shorter woman. Cameron swallowed hard, not expecting whoever this was to speak.

"We have done your job for you. Do your part and clean up the mess. We will be taking care of the rest of the sites around the globe. I hope you can keep up, Agent Chase."

Cameron backed up and tried to regain her bearings.

"Who are you? What race are you?" she asked, finally taking in the woman's entire arsenal. She had not seen an alien fight with a sword and shield before.

"Be careful, Director." Diana told her. "None of them are dead. I would hate for one to wake up and hurt you. I understand as a warrior you are severely lacking."

Diana walked around her, the three men following. A rope dropped down from the hole Bruce had opened on entry and he was taken to his jet hovering above, while Diana jumped behind him and J'onn flying off quickly. Barry was left alone with Agent Chase.

"You are kind of a bitch, aren't you?" he asked, temper rising. He knew who she was, and she had no right to talk about Kara that way. While Kara was saving the world, she sat behind a desk.

"Try having the woman you love be more concerned about nursing her drunk, crazy alien sister and fighting street crime than about you, then talk to me. Kara hated the Flash and now you are running with her two besties. You changed her mind. I heard that Supergirl was flying to S.T.A.R. with Batman to destroy the place. She knew you, under that mask, didn't she? You must want something from her to get involved with Batman. Judging by the anger in your eyes I can guess what that something is. Before you become too attached to her, just remember, you will always be second to Alex, the same way I was always second to Kara. Don't believe me? Ask Nightwing how falling in love with her worked out for him. Take care, Flash. Try not to open anymore anomalies for the next few months. We all need a break."

Barry shrugged his shoulders, forcing himself not to lose his cool with Alex's obviously bitter ex-girlfriend. "Like Batman said, if you get out behind your desk more often we might see each other again. Do your job and try to clean up a few of these places yourself. We need breaks too. Be careful, Agent Chase. Alex told me you weren't much of a fighter."

Chase's hair blew back as the Flash took off, a trail of lightning following him.

Barry reached the Batcave a minute later, well in front of those flying, and had a seat. His hand ached so he continued vibrating it, wiling the bones to mend. After five minutes, a record for him, his hand did mend and not for the first time he wondered how much faster he could heal if he worked at it.

While he waited for the rest he thought about the events of the night and wandered around the cave, taking in the enormous structure and the vehicles and weapons. There was the car he had seen before but also a motorcycle with very thick tires, some sort of armored SUV that Barry suspected could also fly if this was the one Bruce used in the Myriad battle Kara had told him about. Some sort of tank with four legs was present. Six cases held suits, each one a bit different, especially the one at the end which was nearly completely armored, including the helmet. He couldn't see how Bruce would even be able to turn his head, but considering Alex had flexible, extremely strong armor on her arms, lower legs and neck and shoulder area, he shouldn't have been surprised.

Yes, Bruce Wayne's money and know how along with Kara's intelligence and alien materials went a long way together.

He watched what Bruce had told him was Brother Eye, a circular column reaching two stories tall, surrounded by keyboards and covered in monitors showing hot spots around the world.

"Impressed? I never got your impression from your visit a couple days ago."

Barry turned to Bruce, surprised to see his jet was in the landing pad that had been empty moments before. He had no idea how quiet that thing was. It was the exact design as Alex's and knew it ran on something Kara called a Phantom Drive. Maybe it was called Phantom because the thing didn't make a sound.

"I think you are ready for a war." Barry told him. "Is that a troop carrier?" he asked, pointing towards the large machine that resembled a space ship.

"That is our new car." Diana answered, walking in with J'onn. She then sat and the other two did as well. Not wanting to feel awkward, Barry did the same.

"Tonight was nothing." Diana started. "A good run but should we have been facing an army of White Martians for example, better planning is going to be needed. The strongest species were not that strong."

"I beg to differ." Bruce told her, pulling back his cowl to reveal a very tired face.

"Yeah, I have to go with Bruce on this one." Barry told her.

"Your enemy was easily beatable, Barry. You just chose the wrong strategy to start. You recovered and performed admirably. I am also impressed by the lack of hesitation you had in attacking that beast. To be honest, I have not kept up with your exploits as much as I have these two. I didn't know what to expect from you and was very impressed."

"Thanks…uh…you are the woman from France, Bruce said would be joining us…him…and J'onn, right?"

Diana nodded her head. "My apologies. My name is Diana." she told him, offering her hand.

"Barry. Nice to meet you." He shook her hand, noticing how strong her grip was and knowing she was holding back in the same manner Kara held back when he first met her.

"We have a list of targets, but we need to be ready. Bruce, are you certain you want me to lead this team? J'onn?"

"I've seen enough." J'onn told her, smiling, at least Barry thought he was smiling. It could be difficult to tell in his Martian form.

"If you will do this, we will follow your lead, Diana." Bruce assured her.

"Fine. If we will be based out of this complex for now, we are going to need Rann transportation technology. J'onn, can you find this Lobo who seems to be hiding from Bruce? He is the one who possessed the teleportation technology Kara uses for her Fortress, correct?"

"Yes, I can. Lobo is a lot of things, but one thing he is for certain is loyal to Kara and Alex. If he is off the grid but still on the planet he is not just relaxing. I would guess he is searching for this weapon, this ring he told you about, Barry. We need to know what a Green Lantern is, why the DEO has no record of them or Kelex for that matter and what their role is. We also need to know what, where and who these Red Lanterns are. We need to find that ring."

"Yes, we do." Diana agreed. "Even if Kara is no longer fighting, no longer has her powers, she still has the potential for them. Should she remain out of fights and not let her rage take control, she should be safe. That said, there are a lot of powerful beings on this planet and I want to know what we will be facing should this ring attach itself to anyone. We need more fighters. Bruce?"

"I'm going to check on Kara and Alex in the morning, and then fly to Iceland. I have a lead on where I might be able to find Curry while he is on land. If his patterns remain the same, I can make contact. Convincing him may be a bit difficult, but he will join us. As far as others…the search will continue."

"I will be scouting locations around the world, hidden but central to major areas. We are going to need teleportation devices large enough to fly that transport through." Diana told them. "This needs to happen quickly. We need to strike these overseas targets soon before the operators realize that Roulette sold them out and have a way back quickly without being chased by foreign warplanes across the Atlantic. I'll be using your private jet, Bruce, so please have it prepared for me in the morning."

Bruce snorted. "Can I rethink you leading?"

"No. So, the sooner we can find Lobo, get this technology and find out what this red ring is and who these Lanterns are, the sooner we can begin."

"I can actually reverse engineer the tech at the Fortress." J'onn offered. "Lobo may be able to procure larger teleporters sooner but we can build them as a last option. Bruce and I both have access to the Fortress." J'onn reminded the group.

"Well then, let's get some rest. The next few weeks will be busy." Diana told them, ending the impromptu meeting.

Barry sat silently, watching the three make plans as if they had been working together for years. He was feeling a bit left out.

"What about me? I can do…something?" he offered. Diana looked towards Bruce, who cleared his throat.

"Barry, you said you needed time to think about it. I said I wouldn't rush you. Tonight was about taking out a drug lab that we were fortunate to discover was also a black market weapons depot. I won't assume anything. The offer stands as always, but you do need to take some time. This will become a huge part of your life if you decide this is what you want. For now, I would suggest you continue your training. Your knowledge of aliens is no doubt on par with mine and J'onn's after only a couple weeks. You have a lot more skills than you realize and being with the DEO agents training you, is the best thing you can do right now. Give it some time and then, if you want to be a part of this team, we want you."

The group broke up, and Barry debated what to do. Run back to National City tonight, run to the Block and risk Kara asking why he wasn't in Central City? Sleep in one of the bedrooms in the mansion?

Instead of any of those ideas, Barry sat in the same chair, looking around the Batcave but his mind was everywhere. There were many paths open to him and not one was obvious. Barry felt his heart was being pulled in many different directions. He was worried about Kara, he was worried about whatever secret Caitlin was keeping from him. At first, he thought it may have to do with Kara but the more he had spoken to her, the more obvious it became that Caitlin had something on her mind that was weighing her down and whatever the problem could be was very personal.

He also thought of S.T.A.R. Labs and his team, or Cisco since Caitlin was busy. He thought of his strained relationship with Joe. Normally Barry would have Iris to talk to about these things. She had a way of focusing him. But tonight, a phone call to mull over these problems just didn't seem right.

As dawn gave way to morning, Barry received a call that told him exactly what he needed to do.

Cisco had told him Wally was nearly hit by a car the night before. He managed to get out of the way and stopped ten miles outside of Central City twenty seconds later.

The Flash was needed back in Central City to help his brother. The rest of the world could wait.

 **The Block**

While the fledgling Justice League had been busy taking down a weapons and drug manufacturing site, Kara Danvers had been in a room on level 5, sitting in a circle with 6 other people including Alfred.

A man with a cast from his hand to his shoulder was present and had most of Kara's attention.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked, before anyone began speaking.

The man, about forty-five or fifty, and slightly out of shape with thinning blonde hair and blue grey eyes who seemed older than his years, smiled at her.

"I thought I would try to hold down a Kryptonian while she was in an excited state. My mistake." he explained with a wink.

"I am so sorry." Kara whispered.

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Worth it. Next time, I will let your little brother handle it though."

"I'm worth getting your arm shattered?" she asked, not believing it and wondering not for the first time, how much Bruce paid these people.

"Yeah. You don't remember me, do you?"

Kara nearly panicked, wondering if she was supposed to. Had he helped her when she was going through withdrawals? She knew she had been a handful, to put it lightly.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. You looked tired that night. Maybe a little drunk too. I guess I will start. I haven't been to a group in a while. My name is Doug Hillard. I work as an equipment specialist for Wayne Enterprises, in the medical tech department. I was approached by Lucius Fox a few months ago about working here and jumped on the opportunity. I suppose I should get to the point."

Doug had everyone's attention, except Alfred who was more focused on watching Kara.

"I had my first drink when I was 16. It was what we did, kids, teenagers. It's not like we were doing drugs, right? That's what we told ourselves. I didn't drink all the time, not at first. Things got a little crazier in college though. I joined a frat, partied, barely got through in my classes but I got by. Spent more time hungover in class than anything. It was after college that things got bad for me. I didn't get the job I wanted with Proctor and Gamble. I was turned down by my first three companies I interviewed with. It hurt. Nobody likes rejection, right?"

Everyone agreed except Kara who remained silent. Rejection was the least of her problems. She stayed away from situations where she could be rejected as much as possible.

"So, I took a job that I felt I was settling for. I didn't like it, I hated the work, I hated the people I worked with. I did have fun at night though. Every night I would be out on the town. Eventually I met a woman who liked to have as much fun as I did. I'm not sure we ever really loved each other but we did love to drink. She also liked to do a little coke every now and then and got me to try it a few times. A few times turned into a regular occurrence.

She left me, but the habits didn't. I stayed drunk and high more than sober. Even at work, I was showing up late, showing up drunk, thought nobody knew that, and started making stupid mistakes. I wasn't getting anywhere and blamed it on the dead-end job. I decided to change my life. I quit my job and moved to National City for a fresh start. Started going to church and cut down on the drinking."

Kara was surprised he had lived in National City. She assumed everyone here had come from Gotham.

"To make up for the alcohol I started using coke and then some more relaxed drugs, uppers, downers, anything that could get me through the day. I found a job at a small company selling EKGs and made decent money. I wasn't quite the engineer I wanted to be in college but that didn't matter. I made enough to get me what I wanted. I even met a woman at church. She didn't know, and I wasn't volunteering. She was straight as an arrow and I told myself she would keep me straight. Instead I just became better at hiding the drug use. I also started drinking more.

Then she got pregnant. That was it, right? I had a kid coming, so I better straighten up. I never looked for help, didn't want it. If I needed help that would mean my wife would find out there was a problem. I had no idea she already knew. I guess I wasn't as good as I thought I was at hiding things."

Kara could relate to that. The day Jeremiah confronted her about her drinking was the day she really stopped putting effort into hiding her habit. She had just been thankful he didn't know about everything else.

"So long story short, I got this great boy and a wife who was getting tired of my shit. Showed up at work drunk one day after partying all night, and my supervisor sent me home. The next morning, I was given a drug test and failed. Fired on the spot."

Kara noticed quite a few others were nodding as if having similar experiences. Her experiences with work were limited. Cat knew she showed up drunk often but never said anything. Kara drank during work hours herself, but Kara was Supergirl. Supergirl was more important to Catco than Kara Danvers drinking alcohol during her lunch hour and on breaks which she took often.

"I told my wife I got laid off, but she didn't buy it. Three weeks later she came home from her work and found me passed out drunk in the living room with our boy in his bed, crying. When I woke up she had my bags packed. Divorce wiped me out. I didn't want it but never had a choice. My habits were well known by her friends and she wouldn't have had a shortage of witnesses to testify that I wasn't exactly the best father material. I only got supervised visits and those stopped when I failed my first drug test at the supervision center. I couldn't find a job, had no home and was living out of a crappy motel, where the only thing that was around were hookers and drug dealers. Of course, they expect payment and I got into a big mess with them. So, I decided to end it. I was 43 and didn't want to go on. I didn't see anything getting better. I would only see my boy and ex-wife from a distance. No job, drug dealers pushing me for money every day, or threatening to break bones. I was done."

Kara watched him closely, almost spellbound by his story. He wasn't talking to the group as much as reliving the past himself.

"I went to the toll bridge over the bay. Walked on to it and began climbing the maintenance ladder to the top. I had just made it when the police and fire arrived. I had hoped to have it done before anybody saw me climbing but a toll attendant saw me heading up. They tried to talk me down, but I was having none of it. I had bought a bottle from a guy I knew who lived on the street and was drunk. It's a miracle I made it up the ladder. I heard them on the loud speaker down below, but it didn't matter. I took a few breaths, whispered an apology to my boy who I would never see again and jumped. I fell for about two seconds when I realized I didn't want to die. That's when I met you."

"Me?" Kara asked.

Doug grinned at her.

"Yeah, this was about three years ago. You smelt like smoke. I found out later that you had been fighting some woman downtown who could breathe fire. I guess you heard the fire department talking to me from twenty miles away. Maybe you didn't want to break my back when you caught me because you were over me, falling as I was, looking straight at me. I felt your arms under my back and we started to slow. Then we were going back up. You left me with the police and took off. Guess you went back and kicked the crap out of that woman. I got taken to a psych ward and given a sedative. Next morning, I woke up and you were in my room, sitting in the corner. You looked tired as hell. Your eyes were sort of glassed over."

Kara nodded, still not remembering but supposing that made sense.

"I was probably drunk." she admitted.

"I don't know, maybe. I do know that you were sitting there, smelling like smoke and reading a magazine. When you noticed I was up, you didn't smile or tell me it would be okay. You just said if you didn't get to give up, I couldn't either. Then you left."

Kara desperately tried to remember this. She had saved a few people off that damn bridge, wondering every time if it was her place to do so, but unable to let someone just kill themselves.

"Mr. Fox found me after I got released three weeks later. I dried out while I was inside and was given some pamphlets for rehab centers and told I was free to go. Overcrowding and all that. I walked outside and into Mr. Fox. He asked me if I wanted to do something with the gift you gave me. I started working for Wayne Enterprises and been there ever since. I had no idea that Bruce Wayne did so much for Batman and Supergirl until Mr. Fox offered me this position. I couldn't turn it down. Half the people in this place and everyone in this room, except Alfred, have been saved by you. So yeah, a broken arm to try and help you out, I can handle it. I even got a lawyer and get to see my boy once a month. If things go well I may get regular visitation rights. I've been clean since that night. Mr. Fox put me in a rehab center and Alfred started bringing me to his group in Gotham. You had our backs and we were going to have yours."

Kara looked at the people in the room, really looked at them and vaguely remembered some of them. One woman she was certain she saved from a rampaging alien in Metropolis, another man resembled someone she thought she may have pulled out of a burning building. Kara felt a bit bad that she couldn't remember them clearly, but she had spent most of the time since she was 18 in some sort of intoxicated state.

"I'm sorry I don't remember. I…that was probably rude, no it was. I guess, I was just…I guess it was pretty hypocritical since I tried to kill myself a year later."

Kara took a deep breath.

"I had my first drink after I discovered that alien bars existed. I was 18. It was my first year of college and my Dad and I had a huge fight. I flew to Metropolis and found this bar filled with aliens. I had been looking for escapees from this alien prison who wanted me dead. One of them, one from my planet, found me and tried to take me to my aunt and uncle who were murderers. I killed him, broke his neck. It was the first time I had …no I guess it was the second time I had ever killed someone. The first was this Vrang…that doesn't matter. Charlie, the bar tender gave me a drink after the fight and let me take the bottle. I drank the whole bottle and it made me feel so numb. I wanted that feeling. I had my second drink about two weeks after me and my friends saved the world by raiding this alien base. I killed a White Martian and my Uncle. I thought it would solve my problems, you know? I had lived in fear of him for so long and I really thought once I killed him I would feel free, happy…but it never came. A couple weeks later I was in a different bar…this is a long story. Are you all sure you want to hear it?"

One woman laughed.

"This just became the most interesting group I have ever been to. There is no way you are stopping."

Encouraged by Alfred's smile she started talking for the next hour. Though she had been hesitant at first, the more she talked, the more comfortable she felt. By the time she was done, she felt…different. Not relieved, not cathartic but a pressure had been lifted somewhat. She sat and listened to others and though their stories did not include killing aliens, she recognized some similarities to herself. By the time the group was over, she was exhausted and fell into bed. She had taken her pills and sedative though she probably wouldn't have needed it that night. Of course, Eliza watched her take it regardless, complete with the open mouth inspection.

The next morning, she spoke to her substance abuse counselor about her experience the night before and opened up to the woman for the first time. She told the truth about her feelings, something Kara had not done often in her life on Earth.

Four days later, alone on level 10, while Kara worked on her newest reclamation motorcycle, Diana Prince walked in.

Kara looked at her and shook her head.

"I was hoping Bruce wouldn't find you. I'm sorry."

Diana was not often surprised, but this was a shock. She had thought she would spend the morning explaining what she was doing here, why she had met Kara in college, who she was. Instead Kara seemed unsurprised and resigned.

"You hoped he wouldn't find me?" Diana asked.

"I know he didn't tell you where I was. How did you find out?" Kara asked.

Diana grinned a bit, realizing she had underestimated the girl.

"I have a possession that makes it difficult to lie to me." the brunette offered.

Kara smirked a bit. "Well I know Bruce isn't afraid of swords and I doubt the shield did much. It must be the rope. I knew something was strange about it when I saw it in your closet. The hidden panel in the back, armor, which I love by the way, especially the boots, a very big sword and shield and clipped onto the armor, a golden lasso."

Diana opened her mouth to ask how she knew this but was not sure how to word her question. Kara saw her confusion and decided to have mercy.

"I don't think those jeans are the type used to grease. There is a fold out chair in that closet if you want to sit. It should be fairly clean."

Deciding that her jeans did not need to get the grease that adorned Kara's hands and face, the woman did retrieve the chair and sat next to Kara, who was on the floor, twisting a wrench on a very old bolt, trying to break it loose. Any doubt that Diana had about Kara's power being completely absent was gone. She managed to loosen the bolt but strained the entire time. She was also sweating.

Kara motioned with her head towards the corner of the room. At the top a camera was focused on them.

"I'm still under suicide watch. Not because I have tried to kill myself, directly anyway. The medications are still being adjusted and I am being monitored 24/7. The antidepressants have possible side effects, one of which is suicidal thoughts, especially in someone who has been suicidal in the past. I cannot tell you how many cups I have peed in. If they ask for a stool sample I am gone."

Diana laughed, despite her puzzlement over Kara knowing what she knew.

"So, I thought my visit would be a surprise, maybe I would have to explain why I am here, who I really am, what I am. You seem to be well informed." she started.

Kara put the wrench down and sat on her butt on the floor, leaning back on her arms.

"Diana, since I have come to this planet, I have been a lot of things, most of them not good. One thing that I have never regretted being is paranoid. When I signed up for that course, I had done a background check on the instructor. I did it on all my professors. When he was given an opportunity in France he had to take at the last minute and you replaced him, I was suspicious. I had Kelex do a background check on you. You hid it well but using the same name over the last hundred years? It wasn't hard for us to follow. You never existed before World War 1. We searched databases at all the museums you worked at over the years, checked video starting from 1995 and up. Before that we searched newspapers that had been archived. Your picture only popped up a few times, but it was enough to tell me you were immortal or at least very good at aging."

"I see. Here I thought I was being so careful." Diana admitted, impressed with the technology she possessed.

"Hard to compete with an alien supercomputer but you were good. The second mistake you made was paying attention to me. In college and high school, I made it my mission in life to stay in the shadows, stay out of the spotlight, be as average as possible. I was not a great artist in college. It was a hobby I am good at, but I am still no protege. Yet, you, a woman of the world, beautiful, respected, talented, paid attention to me. You went out of your way to spend time with me, take me for coffee or lunch. I'm surprised Alex never picked up on it. She had decided to take that class on a lark for an elective. I didn't like an unknown being around my sister. I almost killed you, because I was concerned you were a threat to her."

"When was this?" Diana asked curiously.

"The night after you asked me to lunch the first time. I turned you down because after three coffees and now a lunch invitation I was convinced you were a threat. I didn't want to be seen with you on the last day of your very long life. I didn't though. I hovered outside of your penthouse many nights, watching you, trying to decide what to do. Deciding if you were a threat to Alex."

"But you never tried." Diana concluded, trying not to show surprise that Kara had been watching her from above.

"No. I had lunch with you instead. When you turned your back to leave I took your fork. Kelex ran your DNA to determine your species. You were human, but something more. We have still never found DNA like yours. I kept a close eye on you, but figured you weren't a threat, physically at least. When you left, I followed you to Paris and watched a few nights a week. You like to clean your own place. Your furniture has a solid oak base. You lifted it with one hand to sweep under it."

"So, you watched me clean my flat in Paris. From that you determined I was very strong." Diana told her, impressed with her investigative skills.

"Yeah and I saw the armor, the sword, all of it. I never entered your home. I didn't have to. When you had arrived back in Paris and did not report to anyone, at least any information on me, I decided you were just generally curious. I also knew you wanted to be left alone. I saw you pull a wrist watch out one night and you held it and cried. Whatever you were, whoever you were, you weren't a threat. You just wanted to hide from the world. I knew the feeling. I never told Bruce because I knew he would find you, try and convince you to fight with us. I hoped you could have stayed hidden forever. I suppose he has his own tricks though."

"He can be tenacious." Diana admitted. "Apparently Lex Luthor found an old photo of me and Bruce found it when he was searching Luthor's system."

Kara shook her head.

"Kelex could have picked that up but I never had him search for anything not related to me or Bruce. Sorry."

The woman grinned at her.

"I was not your responsibility. You were right to be concerned. I could have been a threat. But the reason I wanted to meet you in person…I was curious, and I suspected we had some things in common. I also wanted to know how the life you were leading, saving the world, fighting mankind's battles, was effecting you and your sister."

Kara laughed softly. "As you can tell by my surroundings, I haven't exactly done well. Alex has. She has always been the stronger of the two of us. She kept me sane, or at least as sane as I could be. If you came all this way to see me, I suspect you want to know who I really was under the glasses and want me to know who you really are. So, what about it Diana? Which of us is going to tell our story first?"

Diana shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess I should start since I have interrupted your work. My story may be hard to believe."

"Trust me, Diana. Nothing is hard for me to believe."


	23. Chapter 23

Do not own DC or CW characters

 **Chapter 23 I'm that Guy**

"I'm sorry Diana. Your half-brother may have influenced World War 1, but my family killed a planet. I win."

Diana had made her way to the floor by now, taking up the same pose as Kara. They had been playing who had the worse family for an hour since they had told their true stories. Diana admitted she was losing despite having Hades as an uncle and Hera as a step mom. Her half-brother was evil as well obviously, but the rest of her family, including her Amazonian sisters, were good people.

"Your mother wanted you to live. She did whatever it took to ensure your life. My mother…"

"Don't say it." Kara stopped her. "I can understand buying that as a kid but c'mon, believing the whole clay story even when you were an adult? You were kind of asking for that. What Mom is going to say, hey sweetie, I had a one-night stand with the king of Gods, so I could give birth to what he considered a weapon to kill his son? That wasn't going to happen. You had to have figured this out before then."

"I didn't! I grew up on an island, hidden from the world by magic! No one ever told me any differently. If someone said you were born from magic, then you believed it!"

Kara tried to appear judgmental but couldn't keep the smile from her face.

"Fine. I give you that. I believed a lot of things before the truth slapped me in the head. I will give you a break but that was nothing. We may be somewhat equal on the mother front regarding good intentions, but my father and his brother destroyed a planet and my aunt, and her husband tried to kill the human race."

Diana knew from her early education and training when a battle was lost. It was not something she ever enjoyed, even when she trained against Antiope. Her aunt would defeat her easily early on, yet Diana refused to yield until she was on the ground with the tip of a sword against her throat.

"You win." she admitted. "You definitely have the worst blood family. But your family now appears to be wonderful."

"They are." Kara admitted. "It's hard though, isn't it? The two of us, isolating ourselves, watching a world we will never be a part of go by, while we sit on the sidelines. We interacted with people but were never one of them. My old therapist said it was my decision to not get involved with humans outside my family. I don't know if that is true or not. I just know it was hard. "

Kara took a moment, her head in the past, a past filled with joy and regrets.

"Alex and I, we had a different set of problems than normal people, my parents did as well. We lived our own lives, hiding from the rest of the world, hiding huge secrets. While most 19-year-old college freshman went to parties, went on Spring Break trips, spent years without a care in the world, we were building a Fortress in Antarctica, spying on the government and billionaires who may have wanted us dead, fighting crime, dealing with natural disasters, hanging out with a billionaire who dressed like a bat and had nearly as many issues as I did. Bruce has always been better at controlling them though. He has a discipline I never learned."

Diana could understand to a point. She had voluntarily stayed out of humanities affairs, bitter over the Great War, bitter about losing Steve, watching humans take for granted that which she desperately wanted and never could have.

"It sucks, doesn't it?" Kara continued. " All these gifts, we can do anything, be anywhere, but it's the powers that define us and limit what we do. I feel so strange right now. In the past, I could simply take off a bracelet or necklace or unscrew a bulb and everything would be fine. I would be strong again. As much as I hated these powers, I made myself rely on them for my own security. How can you handle immortality, Diana? How can you become close to people that you know are going to die one day, from old age, or some accident, or other tragedy?"

"Yes, it is not easy. I wonder often how I would have felt, if Steve lived. I would have given it all up to grow old with him, but it wasn't meant to be. Had he lived I would have stayed with him, watching him grow old, taking care of him and then mourning when he died. If we had children, I could very well have watched them grow old and die. Perhaps they would have been immortal, perhaps not, but the idea of such loss makes it more frightening to become involved with others. I left one island where I was isolated from the world and came to another island where I isolated myself."

Kara watched her carefully and wondered how she did it. How did she remain alone for so long, no family, no friends? Kara may have felt isolated from the world, but she had her family, she had friends, few they may have been. Diana had been completely alone.

"And now you will be leading a team of superheroes. All three of them are important to me, J'onn, Bruce, Barry. Protect them as much as you can. I realize the risks they take, we all took, but the three of them don't think they can lose. Not really. You will have your work cut out for you. Bruce may want you to lead but he will argue, push back, take the most reckless route for him. J'onn has his own demons, though he handles them better and Barry… he has been almost killed countless times. Being fast isn't always the answer. It could make him feel invincible at times, just enough that he forgets he isn't invincible in a fight. At least I think so. I could be wrong. Just take care of them."

Diana watched her carefully, wondering how Kara Danvers would stay in Midvale, no doubt watching the news and seeing her friends' exploits. The girl was a fighter…at least she had been. Now she had a different fight and it was against herself, one that most likely should have been fought long ago. The spark she had seen in her eyes before, albeit in the limited time she knew Kara, seemed to be hidden now. She seemed almost resigned to the fact that it was over. Her eyes had a dullness to them, perhaps because of the medication.

Kara also appeared relaxed, comfortable with grease smeared on her face and hands filthy. She had a smile that seemed natural and not forced. Perhaps this happiness would be the thing that kept her from getting back into the game, so to speak.

"So, what are your plans when you leave this place?" Diana asked, curious as to where she would go and what she would do with her new life.

Kara shook her head and chuckled. "Despite being a millennial, I do not plan to live with my parents forever. Once Mom and Dad are comfortable, or at least somewhat confident that I won't drink…or use drugs…or try to kill myself, I plan to buy the land my cave sits on. It belongs to the state, but it can be bought. I will clear out the trees and either transplant them or use the wood in building my house by the cliff. There isn't a beach down below, but it was the first place I saw the ocean. I had run out of land there and found the cave. Alex saw me walking into it and…the rest is history. I have been drawing plans for a house I plan to build, as much of it as I can by myself. I can run power and water two miles to the nearest poles and pipe system. Then I will build my home. It will be a two bedroom, so Alex can have her own room for once if she wants to stay and Clark can have a room for when he stays over. It will be close enough to my family that I can see them every day. It will be mine."

"That sounds nice." Diana admitted, never having owned a house herself. She had always stayed in apartments early on, then lofts and eventually condos and penthouses as her savings grew over a century. "So, I suppose you plan to sell this bike? What auction house will you be using? I may be interested in it."

Kara laughed, shaking her head.

"Auction houses take fees and taxes. I can get two mil on the black market. Bruce has a friend I have spoken to a few times. She is familiar with various collector's markets that aren't known to the public. I won't take less than 2 million. My friend Nyssa has several shell corporations that I can launder the money through to avoid taxes as much as possible."

Diana had to laugh. The superhero who according to Cat Grant stood for truth, justice and the American way, had connections in the shady world of black market antiquity collections and money laundering. On second thought, perhaps that was the American way at least, if not truth or justice.

"I still may be interested. I am very familiar with the underworld of antiquities. Let me know."

"I will." Kara promised. "Hey, could you do me a favor? Bruce…next week is the anniversary of his parents' murder. The two of us go to the alley they were killed and leave flowers. I always bring white roses. Could you accompany him? I don't think I will be able to make it and I don't want him to be alone."

Diana smiled and placed a hand on Kara's shoulder.

"I give you my word, I will be there. I will take care of them, Kara. Don't worry about the world. You have done enough. It's my turn now. I will also make sure Barry always comes back to you."

The blonde shook her head, looking away from the woman and her eyes seemed even duller, but Diana had a sinking feeling that tears would be coming soon.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"I could love him. I could love Barry. A part of me already does. I think if I would let myself admit it…but Barry doesn't belong to me and never will. He belongs to the Flash, the same way I belonged to Supergirl. He will never give it up. If he did, he would resent me for it, so I would never ask him to. He will have a lot going on and…we are going to have very different lives. He will stay in Central City and becoming involved with this team, working with his own, his job…something has to give, and I won't take any of those things from him no matter how much I want to."

Diana squeezed Kara's shoulder gently and winked at her.

"Why don't you let him decide what he wants instead of making decisions for him before it is even an issue? Live your life, Kara. Don't be afraid of love, or all this can be for nothing. I have lived without love for a very long time. I have never let myself move on. Perhaps it is time I did. It is time we both did. Now is not the time to decide what we can and cannot have. I will let you continue on your bike. I suppose if Selena Kyle will be selling your project, she owes you a favor?"

Kara smiled, not surprised that Diana knew who Selena was.

"I may have let her get away a few times with certain illegal activities. She is a friend of a friend after all. I have therapy in an hour, followed by medication, blood tests and group counseling. Then to top it off, Shay will put me through a series of exercises to see if my coordination is improving, my mother will watch everything I eat to see if my appetite is improving and I will have about an hour before my mouth is inspected to ensure I have taken my evening meds. I should probably clean up. It's been a pleasure to meet the real you, Diana."

"The same, Kara. I am glad you are here. I have no doubt, like the others you have fought, you will win this battle. We will see each other again."

"Hey, before you leave, I have to know. That wasn't really a watch you were looking at, was it?"

Diana smiled and shook her head. "A woman has her secrets, Kara. I will see you soon. Don't worry about your friends. I will take care of them. You rest and be happy. It's my turn now."

Kara was left alone, with her bike and her cat who ran out of the elevator, Alex not far behind.

"So, that was her?" Alex asked, sitting on the floor.

"Yeah. So, Barry is going to wear the suit, right? You gave it to him? The upgraded one I mean."

"Kara…" Alex warned.

"I'm not asking about what is going on in the world, Alex. You promised me you would make sure he wore it. Is he? Did he like it? Did you make him promise…"?

"Yes! Yes, he did like it and yes, he promised. Drop it. He is a big boy."

"He is a big boy that has been hurt a lot, Alex. He is a hero, but he is beginning to know loss that may never stop. His mother, his father, but what about the next one? I won't be out there with him. I can't…"

"Do you need some more anxiety meds? She left and now you have your brain in superhero mode. Relax. Want to work out before group?"

Kara agreed, not wanting to lose any of her physique. It would be easy to wither away, due to the meds suppressing her appetite. She made herself eat. She had to but took no enjoyment out of it. Shay said this would change but if not, Kara could live with it. She knew life would never be perfect and a side effect of losing her appetite occasionally was a small price to pay.

That night after an exhausting day, she took her sedative and as usual fell into a deep sleep.

Once the lights were off and only minimal staff patrolled the halls, making sure that Kara Danvers did not take a stroll or try and find sharp objects, and Caitlin Snow was outside, a half mile from the cabin with Dante, no one noticed the barely seen red streak that entered the cabin. Rather than using the palm reader, the streak phased straight down the elevator shaft, to Kara's level, phased out of the elevator and into her room.

Barry Allen stood next to Kara's bed, listening to her gently snore, sleeping on her back for once and completely oblivious to the world.

If Kara had seen him, she would have been shocked by his appearance. His hair was unkept and shaggy, as if he hadn't cut it in months, along with the full beard on his face. He was also much thinner, despite being thin naturally.

Barry reached down and gently ran his hand over her cheek as eyes began to shimmer with unshed tears.

"You made me swear I would never change the past, no matter what. I wish I had never swore that to you. You saved the world but there was no one to save you. I wasn't fast enough, I guess, or good enough. None of us were. I won't wake you, but I had to see you one more time. I would kill to hear you tell me you love me one more time. I love you, Kara. I love you so much."

He took a moment, not moving, drinking in her appearance. He had looked at pictures of her constantly. He had nothing else to do with his time. Everything he cared about was gone when she was gone. Barry wasn't strong, and knew she would be disappointed, if she was watching over him.

The man leaned down and gently kissed her lips, then with one last longing look, he disappeared, leaving the way he came, too fast for anyone or any alarm or camera to notice.

 **Central City**

Barry watched his foster brother run on the treadmill at incredible speeds, faster than Barry had been when he started out. Though he was a blur to the others, Barry saw the smile on his face clearly. He also wondered if Jessie would have been affected as well. After they showed no powers once the dark matter cloud had passed, everyone relaxed, thinking them unaffected other than the deep coma Jessie had been until Barry woke her.

"Any chance of getting Caitlin back, Barry?" Cisco asked, sitting at the console in the treadmill room. "I think I am getting a read on his vitals, but no one knows your physiology better than Caitlin. How much longer do you think she will be at her new job?"

Joe, Iris and Cisco were all looking at him now.

"It's her job, Cisco. How am I supposed to know? I have talked to her, but she hasn't given me specifics. From what I understand it's a fluid situation with no set time limit." he offered, a vague answer, but the only one he was willing to give.

Before any protests could be raised, a smiling Wally West was next to Barry.

"No need to worry about my vitals. I feel great! I can do this all day. How about a run around town, Barry?"

No one said anything, confusing Wally. Barry didn't mind the idea, but he knew things were far from normal. The mood of the place had been different since Caitlin left and Barry began spending the majority of his time away. Morale was down, and Wally's emerging powers had Joe and Iris on edge, Cisco's mind was in different places and Barry's was split all over the place. His therapist would be coming to Central City tomorrow and he had planned to see Kara on Saturday. Now his training would be held at the hanger that belonged to S.T.A.R., away from prying eyes. He thought of including Wally, but Wally did not need to learn what Barry was learning yet. Maybe never.

A week ago, Ty Gavin had shown him Kara's favorite technique for getting someone in a position to break the opponents neck. Gavin had mentioned that she used it to take out a Kryptonian in a bar and to kill her aunt. She did this when she was 18. The idea of Kara doing something like that was hard for him to fathom but he believed the man. Wally wasn't much older now than Kara had been when she killed her first alien If Wally learned to fight like that, had it engrained in him, how long before he used it as second nature, the way Kara and Alex apparently did?

Was it better for him to phase a hand in an enemy's heart though? Barry could see from his eyes, that the boy planned to be a hero. What if he had to decide, like Barry had to with Zoom? Would he make the same mistake Barry did? If he didn't, if he killed, then how long before he began the path that led Kara to an underground rehab facility. Regular alcohol didn't affect speedsters but if there was alcohol that affected someone like Kara, it would most definitely affect Barry or Wally.

A news alert signal rang out from Cisco's phone. He checked it out and turned to the monitor, pulling up the Worldwide News.

"Oh, that's not good." Cisco mumbled. "Wild fire broke out in California, burning quickly. It's been so dry…campers are caught on all sides."

"No big deal." Wally told the group. "Supergirl took out the last one in an hour with that freeze breath and got everyone to safety. She will be there any second. Can we pull it up on the big seen in the control room? I love seeing her in action."

Joe, Iris and Cisco looked at Barry, wondering if Supergirl would show up. He had told none of them where she was or what she had been doing but her disappearance, along with Barry's extended time in what they thought was National City and Caitlin's sudden emergency job, had them all suspicious as to what was going on. Barry was sure they could tell by his face that Supergirl would not be showing up this time.

"Cisco, a guy named Kelex is going to put you into my com on the suit I just got. I need to take the suit I had been wearing and wrap people up in it. It's the only thing I can think of that will allow me to run them to safety through flames."

"I'm coming…"

"Don't even think about following me, Wally. You have a long way to go before we talk about you being on the streets. I'm serious."

Barry grabbed his suit and the suit Cisco made him and was gone, moving faster than he ever had.

He could make it to Kentucky in thirty-two minutes and suspected he could be in California in ten to fifteen.

"Cisco, are you there?"

"Yeah, why did I just talk to a guy that sounds like Loki? Not that I am complaining. Any other Marvel villains I need to know about?"

"What's my speed?"

Kelex answered.

"Currently you are traveling…"

"I give out the vital info here, Loki. Sit back and do whatever it is you do…I have no idea what that might be since I don't know you or why you are patched into Barry's com."

"Kelex, I am putting down the visors, give me a trail to follow and let Cisco into my system. Cisco, give me locations of trapped campers. You should see on the display in front of you what my position is in relation to theirs's and the forest and what I am seeing. Do you have me?"

"Yeah…do you seriously have infrared on this bad boy?" Cisco asked.

"Won't do me a lot of good, in a wildfire. I'm switching to 3 D high def view, Kelex, Caitlin is busy, so I need you to keep track of my vitals, let me know if I get too hot."

"I can control the temperature of the suit from here. I will keep you at 74 degrees." Kelex assured him. "Because the mouth area is open, please be sure to keep your mouth shut and only breathe clean air. I will be monitoring your oxygen levels in your blood stream."

"Okay, Barry." Cisco broke in. "I think I got this figured out. I…yeah, I'm going to…I have…there are no cameras inside the fire zone. Right now, I am going to lay down a path…wow, you should be there in eight minutes. Man, you have never moved this fast! Line of sight coming up now. Just follow the lines of the 3 D…this is so sweet! I am taking this suit apart when you get back and figuring…"

"Do not touch the suit." Kelex told him immediately.

"But first I am going to take apart whoever this Kelex is." Vibe decided. "Okay, pulling up now."

"Cisco, this says I need to make a U turn? That doesn't seem right." Barry noticed.

Cisco checked the system, completely unfamiliar to him and found the problem.

"Got it! Should be straight now. I'm going to try and find some of the trapped, but you may just have to follow some trails and hope you get lucky."

Barry knew what he had to do and was sure this was going to irritate his friend. Unfortunately, he did not have time to appease egos, so a team up would have to take place.

"Kelex, how many spy satellites have capacities to investigate the area?"

"Six, four Russian and two Chinese of which I already have control. The fire is only one hundred square miles in circumference right now but is growing fast. You will need to …"

"Yeah. I got it. Send the images to Cisco's screen. Cisco plot out targets and safe zones. I need the ones closest to the fires first."

"On it…wow, these really are Russian satellites. How did you get these, Loki These are state of the art, impossible…"?

"They are no more complicated than a set of building blocks to me. Can we concentrate?"

Cisco and Joe looked at each other in confusion. Who the hell was this that could compare secret classified satellites the US most likely couldn't hack, to children's building blocks?

"Something tells me this Kelex and that tech Barry is wearing is not from around here." Joe whispered to Cisco who agreed. Something like this…

"Cisco Ramon, I am sending you locations of cell phones in the forest as well. I am accessing the speakers on the phones and sorting out the voices to determine injuries. I will give you any indications of immediate life-threatening injuries to consider in your plotting of evacuation."

"How in the hell is he turning on cell phones and using them as microphones?" the man mumbled. "Felicity can't even do that."

Iris shrugged her shoulder, keeping one arm around Wally, scared he would run off. "Something tells me whoever or whatever this Kelex is, he isn't from around here."

"Yeah, definitely alien tech. Look at the code he is using to hack…"

"Can we concentrate guys? I can see the fire, Cisco. Give me some campers." Barry asked.

"Got it. Turn 12 degrees right and a mile in. You are going to pass through a wall of flame. If you keep the extra suit on the person the flames shouldn't hurt them. You are going to have to run them out the way you came in. The winds are blowing the fire south west. I have twenty targets right now. Kelex, any chatter from your privacy invading cell phone tricks?"

"Only frightened people, one sprained ankle. No immediate life-threatening injuries but smoke inhalation will become a problem for some closest to the firewall. I would recommend plotting a course that could save the ones closest…you will figure it out. I will shut up now."

Cisco shook his head and went to work.

Two hours later, Barry had evacuated over forty people following Cisco's directions and had begun making a wall of wind to divert the course of the fire per the Fire Chief's directions.

"Barry, your electrolyte levels are dangerously depleted, and your blood sugar is low. Unless you want to pass out I would recommend making a quick stop at the mobile command center and to eat at least thirty donuts or 16 energy bars and drink three gallons of water with an electrolyte additive. I can see what you need is being brought into the command center right now."

The four at S.T.A.R. labs watched into the night, as Barry circled the forest and diverted then snuffed out fires per Cisco's suggestions. Kelex stayed quiet except for an occasional update on his vitals.

"I don't get it." Wally said. "I know she hasn't been seen for a week, but this is big. If Barry wasn't there, it would have grown from a couple thousand acres to a million by morning, considering the winds. Where is Supergirl? You think she would be here, right? Even if she is taking some vacation. I read an article on a fan club site that thinks she goes on some sort of vacation every two years. She did the same thing two years ago, remember? She was gone for like two or three months? Still though, unless she went to another planet it's weird that she would sit this out."

"She can't do it anymore." Cisco whispered. "She either lost her powers and Caitlin is trying help her get them back…or she has quit…or is sick. That's why Barry has been acting so strange, or part of the reason and he won't say anything about her."

Joe nodded his head, figuring that made sense. "It would explain how he has been acting lately, always tired, disappearing to National City, always tense. It would also explain how we suddenly have an extraterrestrial hacker who made him a suit that can control his body temperature and know when his blood sugar is low. Have you looked at it yet, Cisco?"

The man shook his head. "I'm afraid to ask. Something is going on that's weird. Caitlin is involved, Barry is involved and even Batman has hardly been seen in Gotham. I just can't understand why he won't trust us with the truth. We have always…"

"Because what is going on, is personal, as in not public knowledge or for you to know." Kelex cut in. He had been so quiet, Cisco thought he wasn't monitoring any longer. But of course, if Barry was in that suit, he knew that voice would be there. He also wondered who else was listening in.

"My bad, Loki. Chill out. Who are you anyway? Is that personal or are we allowed to know?"

"All I am at liberty to say is I was born a long, time ago in a galaxy, far, far away."

That simple statement brought silence to the room and a smile to Cisco Ramon's face for the first time that day.

"Kelex, we might just be friends after all." the man admitted.

"Oh joy. My long life is now complete. Barry Allen is on his way back to Central City. It has been an annoying pleasure working with you, Mr. Ramon. Luckily for you, Alex has made a habit of second guessing me over the years, so I am used to cooperating with humans. Have a nice night. If you tear up my suit, the warranty will be void, and Batman will come see you while you sleep."

 **The Block- four weeks later**

It was mid-morning when Barry arrived, guessing he would find Kara in the gym. He had only seen her four times in the last month and felt guilty about this, but she seemed resigned, not surprised at all and that hurt.

One thing he had learned from phone conversations that had turned a bit impersonal other than an update on how their respective lives were going, is Kara's routine. She held on to it, almost religiously. It made her feel comfortable. Meds in the morning then breakfast, time in the gym with Alex or Bruce who stopped by more than Barry did, afternoons in therapy, whatever was on the schedule that day and then four hours of time in the garage, working on her reclamation project that was nearly complete. Afterwards was dinner then two hours of whatever she wanted to do, followed by evening meds and sleep.

She had begun to look better, her hair shining once again, and smiling often, a smile that didn't look as if it was forced. Apparently, she had spoken to Cat Grant on the phone more than once, who was very aware that Kara was not coming back to National City or taking to the skies ever again. Instead, as Barry knew from TV and the papers, the media was more focused on the new mystery woman who carried a sword and shield and had the strength to beat aliens and metahumans into submission, along with the Martian Manhunter and Batman. Barry was often included in these as well, keeping close contact with the team, if not an official member and working with his Central City team, then afternoons with Wally, helping the young man hone his skills. There were also the nights during the week when he either visited National City or the hanger at S.T.A.R. for training with his team of DEO agents. Of course, there was therapy with Jessica every other Friday night, but she had taken to meeting him at a hotel in Central City or her house in National City the nights he was there.

Wally was coming along, faster than Joe or Iris wanted. The two were very against him becoming a superhero and while Barry didn't blame them, the idea of him doing it anyway and not being prepared, was even more dangerous.

So today was a rare opportunity. Today he would get to see Kara, no matter how tired he felt. Something had to give, and he was determined it not be her.

And she seemed resigned that it would be her.

To his surprise, she was waiting for him outside the cabin this morning.

"Hey. You look good." he noted, not lying. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and her blue t shirt over her cut offs fit her well. She had appeared to have gained muscle, putting her near her previous size. Her eyes did not appear tired as they usually did.

"Thanks. Liking the suit?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's great. Cisco is a bit upset that Kelex won't give him complete control but the two have come to some sort of cease fire. I haven't told him he is dealing with a flying robot supercomputer from a much more advanced civilization."

"That's good. He probably doesn't need to worry about competition. Caitlin is going home tomorrow." Kara informed him, surprising the man.

"But…she was helping…"

"The medications work. Shay can take care of any tweaking that needs to be done. I am… I am going home tomorrow. Mom or Dad will bring take me to their lab sometimes and monitor the medication levels, pass on information to her through Kelex but there is no need for me to be at the Block anymore. Leslie is going to continue therapy with me over a secure server and Kara Danvers will be going to meetings, support groups in Raleigh. I'm coloring my hair tonight, cutting about four inches off and thinning it. I'm also getting regular glasses, so my face can be seen in photos Mom wants to take. Kelex will protect me from facial recognition. I guess I am going to start…living life."

"This is good?" Barry asked, thinking she should be much more excited.

"I haven't been outside this place since out last trip to Louisville. I've been spending all my free time working on the bike. Now it's done and so am I. Done here I mean. I knew the day was coming and it scares the hell out of me. I want to be home but, I guess I am just scared."

The man could understand that to an extent. He had his fears, they all did. Kara's were more vivid and constantly on her mind though.

"I talked to Caitlin this morning, helped her pack up. She said she will tell you everything she has been up to when she gets back to Central City. I guess she wants to talk to you and Cisco. I know you noticed she is hiding something from you."

Barry shrugged his shoulders. Yes, he and Caitlin had talked on his visits, and he knew she was hiding something. The man assumed their conversations were not as warm as in Central City because she wouldn't talk about Kara and that had been all Caitlin was here for.

That notion changed when he saw Dante and Caitlin walking back from the woods one night as he was leaving. Though he didn't stop, he knew something was going on. He also knew Caitlin would tell him when she wanted to or not.

Kara decided to walk outside, rather than bringing him inside right away. She had missed her gym time, hoping he could make it, so the two could talk. It was a talk that was familiar and one that she hated to repeat again, but one that needed to happen.

The blonde began walking towards the forest in front of the cabin, not taking Barry's hand as she usually did when they strolled. He hadn't had a chance to change out of his suit but supposed it didn't matter. They were completely alone in this isolated part of the world.

Once they had reached a familiar path the two took on his visits, she stopped.

"Barry, I need to talk to you about something…"

"No." he told her quickly, surprising the girl.

"What do you mean, no? I haven't even said anything."

"You've said it before. Six years ago, but I doubt it will be any different now. Bottom line, is you have too many issues in your life right now, but the reality is you think you will be pulling me away from something, ruining my life. It won't happen again. I'm not losing you again. You are not cutting me out."

Kara looked away for a moment then faced him, taking both of his hands and grinning.

"You are the Flash. Bruce wants you on the team, the one Diana is running. We both know you are going to join. You have Central City and who knows what else? Something has to give, Barry. You look tired. Have you had a moment's rest in the past three months?"

Barry shook his head. "I don't give a damn. You won't stop me from seeing you. I will just keep showing up in Midvale. Your parents love me, so I won't have a problem getting in. I will keep showing up. You can't exactly physically stop me anymore."

Kara laughed quietly and shook her head. "You know you basically described stalking someone?"

Barry didn't smile.

"I'm not playing the blame game here, Kara, but maybe if you hadn't been so quick to give me up before this Supergirl stuff started, neither of us would be where we are. You may have thought you were doing the right thing, protecting me, but you knew that I knew, and you never gave me a choice. You decided it was too dangerous for me to be in your life, not me. I could have been there for you, we could have been there for each other. Maybe you would have taken this path and I would still have taken mine but maybe, just maybe we could have helped each other. Maybe I could have helped you deal with this life. You are trying to decide now how I spend my time, what my priorities are. It isn't your choice, its mine."

"Barry, it is my choice on who I spend time with and…" Kara started, before Barry interrupted her.

"Stop. Just stop. I'm not giving you up. You want me to be a friend that's fine, but I am going to be a friend who sees you all the time, who you talk to about everything going on with you, who I will talk to about everything going on with me. I am going to be the friend who goes to open meetings with you. Yeah, I have done some research. I will be the guy who takes you to movies, walks along the beach, dinners at some restaurant where we can watch the sun set over the ocean. I'm going to be that guy, whether you like it or not."

"Why? What we have, it's never been, it's never been what it could be. You don't know me outside of this place. I really don't know what is going to happen, I don't know how I am going to respond to the outside world, what I am going to do with my free time."

"Because you love me. I know you do. I love you too, or I wouldn't be here, fighting for you. I haven't been around as much the past few weeks because Wally…Wally developed speedster powers. I have been helping him, but he is almost as knowledgeable as I am, at least when I started out. We will continue to work but things are going to slow down."

Kara let go of his hands and turned, continuing down the path, not happy that this conversation was not going the place it had to go.

Barry zipped in front of her, causing the blonde to close her eyes.

"Please don't move that fast. I'm used to being able to see you and now, it just kind of throws my equilibrium off."

The Flash shrugged his shoulders. "Don't walk away from me when we are having a conversation and I won't have to. You aren't making the same mistake again. I made a mistake as well. I knew where you lived. I should have come to you, even after you caught that plane. I didn't. I decided you would be better off without me and all my drama. I made that mistake and I won't let us make the same mistakes again."

"I'm going to walk away now." Kara told him. "Do not run in front of me or zip or do whatever you call that."

Barry did it anyway, causing Kara to nearly scream in frustration.

"You can't love me, Barry! Nothing has changed. Yeah, maybe I'm not drinking or snorting drugs and maybe I'm not fighting bad guys, but I am a medicated pyscho! Is that what you want? Someone you always have to watch? Someone who could slip back into old habits so easily? Someone whose mood depends on medications and can't sleep without pills? Do you really think you need that?"

"I need you and you need me. Don't tell me who I can and cannot love. I realize as Supergirl you are probably used to making decisions for people, but you aren't her anymore. You are just Kara Danvers and that is more than enough for me. You know you love me too. You have been getting ready to say these things to me for a month. You think I don't know? You could have told me a long time ago to stay away. You didn't have to take me above the clouds and kiss me."

"No, I didn't." Kara agreed. "Haven't you figured it out yet? I do what I want. I take what I want. I wanted to kiss you, so I did. I have always been like this! I wanted to hurt myself, so I did. I wanted to kill myself, so I tried, twice! I wanted to get high or drunk or both and I did all the time! I wanted to screw Grayson whenever I felt like it and I did! What don't you get about me? I do what I want! I take what I want. Ask any alien on this planet. Nobody says no to Kara Zor El because she will kill them if they do. She is a killer!"

Barry shook his head, refusing to play this game.

"You do what you want, huh? Like you wanted to be here? I guess you weren't kidnapped and brought here against your will? You stayed because it was the right thing to do, not just for your family. Throwing Dick Grayson in my face isn't going to bother me either so save yourself the trouble. I don't care about Grayson. You don't want to be around me because it scares the hell out of you that you could actually love a guy. You didn't love him. The fact that you are trying your best to push me away, shows me that you love me. It shows me how scared you are. I'm not giving up. You can stay in your room when I come over. I'll play video games with Clark or maybe let Alex teach me how to shoot a gun, but I will be there. I'm not going away."

"You have to." she whispered, looking at the ground. "You have to."

Barry placed a finger gently under chin and made her look up at him.

"No, I don't. Not this time, Kara. I won't make the same mistake again and neither will you."

Kara began taking deep breaths to calm herself down. This wasn't the way this was supposed to go. She controlled everything. She controlled when and where Grayson could see her. She was always in control. She planned to send Barry away to chase his destiny, free of her. Enough people worried about her. Even her little brother worried about her. He didn't need this.

"The world needs the Flash." she finally told him, trying to stay strong.

"And Kara Danvers and Barry Allen need each other. I'm going to kiss you now. I'll move slowly so if you don't want me to, feel free to hit me. If you let me, I am going to assume this conversation is over and we can celebrate your freedom and new life. The world can wait. It will always be there. We might not be, so we take advantage of the time we have, whether it is days or years."

Barry did lean in, nervous the entire time but eventually his lips found the lips he dreamed about often. It was slow, gentle, but there was no mistaking it for what it was, the kiss of two people in love.

He reluctantly pulled back and was glad to see a smile on her face.

"Nothing I can do to get rid of you, is there?"

"Now you are getting it." he concurred.

"Then come downstairs. I need to keep packing and its almost lunch time. My appetite is nearly the same as a normal human's. You can watch me get syrup all over my face while I try and eat pancakes in the most lady like fashion."

The trip back took more time, the two-moving hand in hand while Kara scanned the treetops for squirrels and birds. Alex was waiting for them when they returned.

"Breakfast is over, and Mom is not happy that you missed it. Better hurry and grab some grub before she force feeds you." Alex suggested.

Kara agreed and moved towards the elevator. Alex asked Barry to stay behind. The man assured Kara it would be okay, and he and Alex waited until the elevator had closed before the older sister spoke.

"She tried to tell you to go away, didn't she?"

"Kara told you that was her plan?"

Alex shook her head. "If there is one thing I know better than the biology of exotic and extraterrestrial life forms, it's my little sister and what she is thinking. I'm guessing since you came back you told her you wouldn't?"

"That's exactly what I told her." Barry confirmed.

"Good man." Alex told him, very happy. The last thing Kara needed was to enact her old play book. If something was becoming out of control, she cut ties with those she could. It appeared Barry would be forcing her to use another playbook.

"Is that what you wanted to know? I figured you would have asked her."

Alex shook her head and reached into her pocket, pulling out a ring. golden with a lightning bolt in the center circle.

"What is this?"

"Something Kelex has been working on. You've been carrying your regular clothes everywhere with you, stashing them in hidden places before you change, right? Then placing the suit in a bag?"

"That's usually the way it goes." he admitted.

"Seemed complicated. I guess you have figured out that Kryptonian fabric is awesome. The crystals they have are as well. You know everything in the Fortress came from a bag of small crystals, including Kelex?"

Barry was surprised. He had seen the Fortress briefly but never gave mud thought to where the tech came from.

"No, I didn't realize that. How is it possible?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders. "How is deep space travel possible, using wormholes and breaches to travel thousands of light years away in a few days? Krypton figured it out. Kara could give you the technical details. The point is, these crystals can store and restore inorganic material. Your suit has too much tech, especially the exoskeleton and head gear, for it to be folded into anything small enough to fit in a ring. This ring however, has small crystal just under the lightning bolt that will open on your command. Put it on front of you and clench your fist three times. Get your normal clothes from wherever you stashed them and come back."

Barry did so, blowing Alex's short hair back.

"Squeeze the ring and do this fast. I don't want to see you in your undies. Phase back out of your costume, squeeze your fist three times, jumps from your uniform to your clothes and then turn towards the uniform. The crystal that is under the lightning bold will suck up your uniform."

Barry did so, in less than a half second and was indeed standing in front of where his uniform had been in his normal street clothes.

"Point it in front of you, squeeze hard three times and your uniform will be there. You can either change out of your clothes and use the crystal in the ring to absorb them after your suit is released or leave the suit on the ground. Congrats, you now have a Flash ring. It will take some practice. I got tired of carrying my outfit in a handbag. I stored in a compact with a flat crystal I kept in my back pocket. Of course it took me a little, no, a lot longer to change."

"This is amazing, Alex. Thank you."

The woman brushed it off. "It was Kara's idea. She is always thinking about you. Go have lunch. I think I will take a walk myself."

Barry moved quickly, wanting to join her as soon as possible and thank her.

Alex shook her head and laughed. "Romance in rehab. Who would have guessed it?" she said to herself and walked farther away from the cabin.

"They are gone, and I am not staying out here forever. You may be quiet, but until you can learn to lower your body temp to the surrounding area without dying, infrared is going to pick you up, Nyssa. Come out, come out."

Alex turned around with a grin, as she thought, Nyssa standing behind her.

"Hello ninja girl. I'm guessing since you didn't bother them on their walk, you aren't here to see Kara?"

Nyssa shrugged her shoulders and stepped closer to the woman.

"I will give her a few days to settle in at home. In two days I would very much like to have dinner with you. Raleigh perhaps? Although the fine culture is lacking I have found one very good steak house. What do you say?"

Alex thought about it, looking up at the sky then back at the woman she knew would not leave her alone until she said yes.

"You are going to become a stalker if I say no, aren't you?"

"I prefer to think of myself as being persistent."

"I hate being stalked so I should probably give you one dinner. You know how to get in touch with me. It's going to depend on how Kara is doing. If she is comfortable we can plan from there."

"See you in two days, Alex."

Soon enough Alex was left alone.

"Romance in rehab. Like I said, who would have thought. Wonder how I am going to explain to Mom and Dad that I am going out with the former head of the League of Assassins? I should probably keep that to myself."

 **Coast City**

Hal Jordan was not exactly sure what had happened that led him to being tied in a chair, wrapped in a glowing rope. His head was foggy, but he knew he was at the hangar. He had been working on a private jet…he felt a tap on his shoulder and when he turned he seemed to remember a black shadow and a fist to his jaw.

Batman.

He remembered Batman had been there and hit him. Now he was sitting on a chair with a golden rope around him.

No problem. Power up, and…

His ring was not on his finger.

"Looking for this?" Batman asked, holding the ring in his palm.

Jordan stared hard at the ring, willing I back to his finger. Only…

"I guess Lobo didn't lie to us. It does work off concentration. It will come to you by force of will, except you aren't concentrating. Is he concentrating J'onn?"

Jordan looked to Batman's left and saw the large Martian who had been making waves around the country, fighting crimes and rogue aliens. He was using some mental attack, common with White Martians he had encountered. Jordan was having difficulty concentrating.

"So, these rings can come off, but Red rings can't, correct?" Bruce asked the man who was beginning to panic as J'onn was blocking his mind from reaching out towards the ring.

"And there is a Red Ring on Earth. You Lanterns have been hiding here all these years, doing nothing." Bruce continued. "My friend has some questions for you, that you will answer. Once we are done, you can have your little ring back. Say hello to my friend, Diana."

Diana stepped from behind the chair, fully armored and holding the lasso, pulling it tighter.

"Hello Hal Jordan. My name is Diana, princess of Themyscira and daughter of Queen Hippolyta and Zeus. I have some questions and you will answer them. I would recommend you do not resist. That can be painful. Answer truthfully and this will be over quickly. You are going to tell me the names and locations of the other Green Lanterns on Earth, what your Corp really is, how you came to be, what a Red Lantern is, how many on our planet and who Guy Gardner and Atrocitus are. Let's start with the Guardians of the Universe from Oa, shall we? Tell me everything you know about them."


	24. Chapter 24

Do not own CW or DC characters

AN-Sorry about the delay. Real life and all doesn't always cooperate with writing schedule. This is a chapter focusing mainly on Kara's first night at home and the Justice League meeting the Lanterns and Team Flash getting back on the same page. A warning, the next few chapters will be Kara centric along with Barry of course so no action for a bit. This is after all the sequel to Survivors and will and has continued to focus mostly on Kara and her relationship with Alex and her family and now Barry entering it. Okay, before I leave for a Saturday just a few quick things.

On AO3 I have posted an edited version of Survivors and edited versions of the first 7 chapters of this story. This summer and maybe sooner but the chapters will be slower, I will be posting an edited version of Call Me Kara there, including new scenes, and a while the overall story will remain the same, some things I wish I had done differently will be done differently especially in the earlier parts of the story and will be changed. So, while for the most part it will be the same, with spelling and some grammar corrections there will be a few chapters that are different, and some new chapters added.

And if you need a break from the angst, I started a couple chapters of a Thor Ragnorak Supergirl crossover just for fun. Short chapters, nothing epic, just a bit of fun that serves as a release for me. Even I get affected by the heavy stuff I have been writing for the past year.

 **Chapter 24 - Home**

Kara knew this night sky well. She grew up on Earth staring at the stars from this spot. She never needed a telescope but always used it to find the perfect vantage point for Jeremiah to see whatever galaxy she wanted to show him that night.

He would look longingly at the planets he could see in it, his face like that of a young boy dreaming of flying through the universe in a spaceship. It was one of the many things she loved about him.

After he had his fill, he and Kara would lay out a blanket near the cliff and the girl would tell him all she knew about the planets there, the ecosystem, the views, the species and technology, architecture. She loved those moments. It was like taking him on a tour of the somewhere only she could take him. Those were their moments, just like walking in nature, or going to the botanical gardens belonged to her and Eliza.

So, it was appropriate that on her first night back in her home, the two were lying on the ground, looking at a barely seen spot, called Mynestra. The creatures there were winged, but unlike the Thanagarians, their wings were more like butterfly wings and the color of their skin included the entire spectrum.

"How are you doing? Really?" Jeremiah asked. The family had arrived home at noon, Kara looking very anxious. As the day had gone on though she seemed more relaxed, but he was not about to relax himself.

"I am glad to be home." she said. "It feels so good to know I won't have to leave in a few days or even a week. I never want to leave here. I have to show you the plans for the house I want to build, by the cliff that my cave is near. I have a walking path planned to get me here quickly, maybe a ten minute walk. Do you think the city would notice if it wasn't hooked up to the power grid? I thought of saving money and using an omegahedron to power it. It's going to be…"

"Kara, how are you doing?" Jeremiah asked again.

The girl took a deep breath, as deep as she could, lying on her back.

"You know how many times I never thought I would see home again? I don't mean when I tried to kill myself or when I was going to fight Non. I mean in the last couple years. Once, after a particularly bad day, after that Earthquake in Vietnam, I flew that night to the moon. I was gone for a couple days. It wasn't a short trip."

Jeremiah chuckled, but at the time he hadn't found it funny at all.

"Alex was furious. I was furious. Eliza…yeah, we were all furious. When you say you need to get away from it all, you don't mess around."

"I hate being in space. You know that. The feeling of dying and being regenerated constantly is so…I don't know. I can't describe it. But that time, it just got to me. I made it after a day probably. I walked the ground, got bored quickly. Not much to see up there. I flew to the dark side of the moon and caught it at nighttime. It was a great view, so quiet, for once I couldn't hear anything. Nothing at all. It was so surreal." she remembered.

"I found a big rock and sat down, leaned back against it and opened my mouth. Of course, nothing came in, there was no air, but the feeling was different when my mouth was closed. When it was closed, it was like I was suffocating myself, but I could handle it. My lungs would burn and then repair themselves and then burn again and over and over. But when I opened my mouth it was so scary. It was like I opened this hole inside me, a deep hole and everything inside me was rushing out, being taken from me. Once I had gotten control, I still nearly passed out a few times and wondered how long my body could continue to regenerate. Would I always be suffocating and then reborn or would I give out and just die? I almost didn't come back."

Jeremiah closed his eyes, not wanting to think about that. When Kara was 13, 14, even 15, she would retreat some nights after difficult sessions or instances when she had hurt herself in a particularly gruesome manner and run to her cave. Jeremiah always followed, telling her she could stay there but would never be alone. She always came back, deciding to have mercy on his back. But the first time she flew in space, he realized she could go somewhere no one could follow and always worried about her not coming back.

"But the thought of this place and all of you brought me back. It always has, I mean most of the time. Once I didn't think I was going to have a choice. It was probably the closest I came to dying besides the time I tried to kill myself. I never told you about that. Alex doesn't even know. She would be furious. You all would, but I guess since everything is out in the open there aren't many secrets anymore."

The man thought hard, wondering what fight she had gotten into that almost killed her. He thought he knew every fight she became involved in.

Of course, he had learned over the past two and a half months that Kara had many, many secrets. He had always felt secure in that even if there was something he didn't know, she would tell Alex. Those two had no secrets from each other. But that had changed as well, on Kara's part. She had a whole other life none of them knew anything about.

"When was this?

"Three, maybe four years ago. I guess I was 20. J'onn got a call about one of his refugees. A Krenon had kidnapped his ex-wife and son…"

"Whoa." Jeremiah stopped her. "Ex-wife?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "Yes, aliens get divorces too, you know? Krenons are four armed brutes who treat women like garbage. J'onn placed her in hiding from him but he and his brother found her, took her and the boy and holed up in a decommissioned military depot in Toronto. The ex was a bit nuts, but the brother seemed saner. He was covering the back entrance. Alex was working that night, but I wanted to make sure when I engaged the ex, the brother wouldn't try and escape with the kid, so I called Bruce. He entered the back at the same time I entered the front."

"Four arms, huh? How many did Bruce leave him with?"

"Two. It wasn't as bad as what I did. I kicked the door in and saw him, then I saw her on the ground. He had beaten the hell out of her. Her eyes were swollen shut and her lips were shredded. I don't know, I just saw red and it wasn't my heat vision. He tried to attack me, but you know how I get when I am like that. Before I knew what happened I was standing over his crushed body, his blood all over my face, his arms in pieces from where I had ripped them from the sockets and tore them apart. At some point I had burned his eyes but not his brain. I remember his screams. The ex was crying. She knew someone was there and there were his screams, but she couldn't see what was going on.

I thought I had saved her, you know? He kidnapped her, beat her, would have killed her.

Then the son came out from the corner he had been hiding in. He couldn't have been much taller than Clark was then. He stood over his father, then looked at me with absolute fear. I tried to reach for him, to tell him it would be okay and he ran from me. He hid behind his mother and screamed at me to stay away. Bruce came out and…he just shook his head and patted me on the shoulder. He told me the guy in the back was dead as well, but it was his tone of voice that bothered me. He felt sorry for me, sorry for the boy…I didn't know the boy was there. If I had known I never would have done that to his father in front of him but…I guess that really isn't the best excuse. I left, left her with Bruce to deal with. I flew straight to the nearest bar. I was so confused, so angry, angry at the Krenon, angry at the boy for looking at me like I was a monster, angry at myself for being one. When in walked into the bar, people ran out. There I was in my pretty costume, eyes glowing and completely covered in another person's blood."

Jeremiah fought back a shiver and was glad Kara could no longer hear his heartbeat because at this moment it was racing. Sadly, he had no problem imagining Kara in that state.

"So, I took a bottle from behind the bar. The dealer at the place tried to slip out but I grabbed him, threw him to the floor and told me to give me everything he had, or he was next. I'm not sure what it was he had but it wasn't normal. I drank the whole bottle in that bar in less than five minutes. The entire bar was empty, even the bartender had run. When I finished, I lay out a few lines and snorted them quickly to sober up I suppose or maybe because I wanted to find another fight. By the time I was over Lake Ontario, it hit me. I couldn't control my body, I couldn't think, I was having spasms and I crashed straight into the lake, didn't stop moving until I hit the bottom."

Jeremiah reached over and grabbed her hand, wondering if this was good for her or not. He supposed since she spent so much of the past few years lying and keeping secrets that opening up was probably good, even if the stories would give him nightmares.

"Anyway, I blacked out on the bottom, I guess. When I woke up, it was dark, I thought maybe I was in space. I thought I was dead or dying. I opened my mouth to call for Alex and water poured in. I could feel it everywhere; my lungs were full, and I couldn't move. I just knew that was it. It was over. I killed a man, traumatized his child, got drunk, took some bad drugs and was going to be lost on the bottom of Lake Ontario forever. I figured I got what I deserved. I never thought I would see any of you again, but I thought of Midvale, the view, the memories I had from the Black Mercy of my imaginary human life. I remembered my first night here, sleeping on the roof with you next to me and waking up knowing I wouldn't be hungry that day.

As the sun was rising I somehow found myself on a shore, on all fours, coughing up water, vomiting water. I have no idea how I got there. I must have crawled out. Once it seemed like I could breathe again, I felt Bruce. He picked me up and took me to his jet. That night I finally had complete control of my body and was able to fly back to National City. Want to know the saddest thing? It never stopped me from using. If I had a line in front of me now I would snort it. If there were heroin here I would shoot it and if I had a bottle of bourbon here I would drink the entire thing. Isn't that pathetic? I don't know what I am going to do. I have to go into town eventually. I can't hide in the house forever. How am I supposed to beat this? Leslie thinks I am ready but I'm not so sure."

"We will beat it together." he assured her." Just like we have always beaten everything else. You aren't alone in this. You have never been alone. You may have isolated yourself, but we will never leave you. We are going to get through his, Kara. You have always known that I would protect you, right? I haven't always been successful, but I have tried. I won't leave you in this. Alex and Eliza, even Clark, we are all in this together. Right now, I am sure Mom is anxiously waiting to feed you your pills. It's getting late and we have had a long day. Let's go to bed and we can eat one of those huge breakfasts in the morning."

Kara laughed and sat up easily, amused at Jeremiah struggling a bit.

"One too many huge breakfasts, Dad?"

The man grinned and shrugged his shoulders, making his way to his feet.

"I didn't take advantage of the gym at the Block as much as you and your sister did. I bet the ocean breeze and Midvale magic are what you need to improve your appetite. Come inside and let Mom and Alex tuck you in."

"Yeah, fine. I suppose in the morning I should call Cat and tell her I quit." Kara mentioned with a grin.

"Alex has been keeping her updated. She fired you a long time ago. It was kind of a dead-end job anyway."

Kara laughed then sobered up at another thought.

"Do you think I should call Grayson and apologize? I did beat the hell out of him the last…"

"To hell with him." Jeremiah snapped. "Sorry, but you owe him nothing. He is lucky he got off with only a beating."

"I used him for…"

"No, you didn't!" Jeremiah shouted. He stopped walking and took a moment. Grayson and his daughter were a subject that always infuriated him. He worked hard to bring it under control quickly, to hide it from Kara usually but tonight hadn't been as successful. "I'm sorry, maybe you did, but he used you."

Kara shook her head in disagreement. "He never did anything wrong. I let him fall in love with me and that was my fault."

Jeremiah snorted. "He never loved you, Kara, he obsessed over you. There is a difference. Grayson knew you had problems and instead of wanting you to get help he used them as an opportunity to get closer to you. You weren't back in National City after your last suicide attempt for a few days and he was there. He wanted you to rely on him, no different than what Lex wanted. If he would have come to Kentucky and you asked him to help escape he would have done it, not because he loved you but because he wanted you in his possession. I'm not the only one who thinks this." he pointed out.

"Bruce loves him, raised him practically and he wouldn't tell Grayson where you were. Even Bruce knew what you two had was toxic. Maybe he did love you in his own way, but it wasn't real love, it was just obsession, wanting you for himself instead of wanting what was best for you. It would be better if you never speak to him again. The two of you had a clean break. Keep it like that. You owe him nothing. You want to know what love it? Love is running across country with a 70-pound boy on your back and expecting nothing in return, just wanting to make you happy for no other reason. That's love. Let's go inside. I can see Eliza's shadow already in your bedroom window, waiting to tuck you in."

Sort of surprised by her Dad's vehemence, she followed quietly. Kara had always known he didn't like Dick Grayson but never realized how much it sounded like he hated them. Kara always assumed it was because he didn't like her having sex but maybe there was more to it. Deciding he was right and it was probably best to leave it alone, she followed him in where she dutifully swallowed her pills before opening her mouth. Eliza even remained behind to tuck Kara into bed, to Alex's amusement.

It did not escape Kara's attention that her mother had laid out white pajamas with long sleeves and her sheets were the familiar white of her previous time here.

"Do you hate me, Kara?" Eliza asked, out of the blue, surprising the blonde and Alex across the room.

"Of course not! Why would you ask me that?" Kara whispered.

Eliza shrugged her shoulders but wouldn't meet her eyes.

"I guess…when we asked Bruce to take you, we knew you might hate us. I know you haven't talked about since then. I just…I guess I wanted to hear you say it."

Kara leaned up and kissed her on her cheek.

"No, I could never hate you. I love you. I swear. Those things I said…"

"I know you didn't mean them Kara. We expected you to say those things. Okay, threatening Bruce with the League of Assassins and cutting Veritas' throat was a surprise but the rest we expected. I just wanted to hear it. Good night sweetie. "Eliza hugged the girl tightly and left for the night, no doubt planning on waking every couple hours with Jeremiah to check on her all night long. Normally she would be irritated by this but tonight she was scared. She wasn't scared of the home. It felt so good to be back in her bed.

She was scared of the next day. Tomorrow she would watch the news for the first time in months. She would find out how the world was coping with her being gone. She would eventually have to go into town, see old people she thought she had left behind forever.

Kara never really had friends in Midvale. Those she did associate, including teachers, she made a point to never look them directly in the eye. The only one who knew what she looked like in detail was Becky and she had died in a car accident when she was 17. She worried about the people of Midvale recognizing her when she first appeared as Supergirl, but none did or at least none admitted it. Those who had watched Kara Danvers in Midvale would never suspect the painfully shy, awkward, lovable nerd with the beautiful voice and a severe case of stage fright could be Supergirl. It wasn't possible.

Now her hair would be colored, but for the most part she would be the same awkward nerd she had perfected in her time on Earth.

She was back, though. Back living at home at 24 and she had dragged Alex with her.

Alex was already asleep, beating Kara's sedative that night. Before she slipped off into dreamless darkness her phone buzzed. Checking it, she saw it was Barry.

/Did I beat the sedative? /

/Barely/ she replied. /The countdown to oblivion has begun. /

/Just wanted to see how it was going. What's it like to live with your parents at your age? /

Kara rolled her eyes.

/What's it like to live with Joe at your age? /

/I don't. I moved out, got my own sweet bachelor pad. Maybe one day I will let you visit it. I'll be down Saturday morning to see you. /

Kara shook her head, wondering what a place that belonged to Barry would look like.

/What makes you think I want to see you? / she asked, wondering if he could tell she was playing over text and thinking maybe that wasn't the best thing to send. Barry did not miss a beat though.

/Then I am coming to see Clark. Maybe I will see you around the house since you live at home with your parents :) /

Kara did not respond back. She wanted to, but her eyes felt very heavy and her fingers wouldn't move as sleep came over her.

 **Central City**

Barry waited for a response but after a minute, realized it wasn't going to may have worried him before but not now. He knew when Kara's sedative took effect, she was falling asleep whether she wanted to or not.

He also knew her 'Bedtime' as she jokingly referred to it was ten o clock, meaning sedative at 9:50.

A part of him felt bad for her. She was 24 and treated like a 12-year-old.

Unfortunately, he recognized it was what she needed. Thinking of all she had done since she landed, basically preparing for war and torturing herself, she could use some time to be a kid again and her family could use some rest from worrying about her constantly.

He just hoped she stuck it out. As much as wanted Kara in his life, he hoped the world never saw Supergirl again.

Now at the lab, he was alone with Caitlin, Cisco and…Dante. Barry had his suspicions but did his best not to think about them, hoping they weren't true. But seeing Dante here next to a nervous Caitlin, told him he was right. Caitlin's secret she was keeping, all the time she spent with the Danvers on a personal project…she had a metahuman gene and he could guess what it was. She had been working with Dante on controlling it.

"So, it's good to have you back." Cisco started cautiously. Caitlin had not said much to either, just that she needed to speak to them both tonight. Barry had his suspicions, Cisco did not, and the shorter man was very leery of Dante Youngblood, with good reason. Barry knew him, trained with his friends and knew how dangerous the man could be. He also knew from Kara that Dante was the calmest man she had ever met, so Cisco's worry was unfounded.

Not that Vibe knew that.

"Yeah, I missed you. Sorry I had to leave so suddenly. It was a sort of different situation. I didn't have a lot of time and…"

"You don't owe me an explanation, Caitlin. I'm just glad you are okay. Barry knew where you were, so I felt a lot better." Cisco assured her. "But it is really good having you back. So…who is your friend?"

"Dante Youngblood." the man introduced himself, taking Cisco's hand. His calm voice soothed the man, and the feeling that he would be attacked or killed any second was gone. At first, he had seemed perhaps not violent, but definitely dark and intimidating. His demeanor erased the initial impression. "I have been helping Caitlin for the past few weeks."

Caitlin looked at the two and Barry felt more certain about his suspicions. Caitlin had developed metahuman powers and they had been triggered, perhaps by Zoom.

Caitlin raised her hand in front of her. To Barry and Cisco's distress her hand turned to ice, her eyes turned bright blue and her hair turned white.

"Yeah, I'm Killer Frost. At least I was…or, I could…when…Dante?" Caitlin asked, shifting back to normal, something her and Dante had done often. The man used the same technique he put Kara throughout with her heat vision, using it and stopping it repeatedly until it became second nature. Then the two began playing, starting with easy tasks and building. They weren't near to complete control, but they had a good foundation to build from.

Dante explained this to the men, and Barry noted Cisco did not seem to be less upset.

"Why didn't you tell me, Caitlin?" the man asked, sounding obviously hurt.

"Because I know you were afraid of Killer Frost." she admitted.

"You are not that woman." Cisco told her.

"I have been. When I use these powers, it's like I turn into someone else. I…Dante has helped me control it, myself anyway, but I still feel like a different person." Caitlin admitted. It was not easy coming back, the first time she truly gave into her power completely. Caitlin was ashamed to admit she nearly killed him.

But Dante didn't back down. This was a man who got into an enclosed space with a 14-year-old girl who shot the equivalent of molten lava out of her eyes.

"Cisco… I think maybe the three of us should come clean with each other. Caitlin and I have been keeping secrets, even from each other. We…the three of us, need to know what we are all doing. But what is said, stays between us. Cisco, I can't tell you how important this is."

"Okay. I'm listening." he told them cautiously.

And he did. For the next hour, Barry explained what he had been doing in National City, the training, the alien tech and the threats he had learned about and the fledgling team, being put together by Batman and two others, including the Green Martian that had been seen flying around the nation.

When he finished, the normally tan man looked pale.

"I don't understand. You two are still holding something back. Namely Supergirl, what is her part in this and why Bruce Wayne is suddenly giving S.T.A.R. whatever we want and not wanting anything in return."

Barry and Caitlin looked towards Dante surprisingly to Cisco. The man had not said anything, only listening, that Vibe almost forgot he was there.

"Supergirl is retired." Dante told him. "She isn't coming back. She was sick, and Caitlin was hired by Bruce Wayne to treat her. She is done. As far as the world is concerned, Supergirl is gone."

Cisco had expected anything, but that. He knew Barry's disappearances had something to do with Supergirl, but he thought the two of them had been becoming reacquainted in National City. Making up for six years of lost time. But that didn't seem to be the case.

She was sick?

"She lost her powers, didn't she?" he whispered. "Bruce Wayne helping her, why…he is Batman. Now Batman is getting a team together because he knows she isn't coming back and is worried about an alien uprising."

The silence was all the answer he needed.

"We can't talk about this to anyone Cisco." Barry stressed.

"What sort of illness could make Supergirl…"

"That is private." Caitlin told him quickly. "It isn't something you need to know. It has nothing to do with us. That is her business."

The man chanced a look at Dante who remained stoic, but it was obvious by his clenching fists, the issue was not up for discussion.

Cisco took this all in. His two closets friends had been living an entirely different life while he had been in Central City. He was not used to being on the outside and wasn't sure how he felt about it. Not that it mattered. It was what it was.

Plus, what had been going on, really wasn't his business.

"So, you don't want to use these powers, right Caitlin?" he finally asked.

The woman shook her head. "Supergirl's…Kara's parents and sister are working on a way to make the metahuman gene dormant. If they can't, Dante is working with me on controlling them, so I never have to use them again. I don't like who I am when I use them. They scare me."

The man nodded his head in understanding, remembering how scared he was of his powers when he first realized he was metahuman.

"I think you should do it, Barry."

To say Barry was surprised would be an understatement.

"Do it?"

"You know what I mean. It's not like you have to live there. Batman is right. When the world needs the best, if Supergirl isn't going to be here anymore, then a team is needed, a team more powerful than us. You are one of the best, Barry. It's not like we have to give up what we have. The team will be needed if the worst occurs, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. We will have missions, like taking down alien dr…weapons facilities. But our primary purpose, from what I understand is to be prepared to fight the worst."

"Then the world needs you, when that happens." Cisco admitted. "I guess we are keeping this to ourselves for now?"

"Yes." Dante told him quickly.

"Okay then. I suppose I should tell you all about an experience I had while you were both away. One that I am surprised didn't give me grey hair."

Cisco went on to tell them about his experience with the two men wearing red and green rings and what he saw when he touched the red rings. Caitlin listened, fascinated and frightened for her friend.

Barry and Dante listened with great worry. Both had learned about this red ring and had a fairly good idea who its target would be, if given the chance.

"Why didn't you tell me right away, Cisco?" Barry asked.

Cisco grinned, almost disbelieving that he would ask that. "Are you seriously asking me why I kept a secret? You haven't exactly been around for me to talk to about this stuff."

The Flash lowered his head, admitting he was right. It seemed like since Batman and Supergirl broke into S.T.A.R. Labs everything had gone off the rails. Barry didn't regret finding Kara again, but it seemed like that was a turning point, the event that changed everything. He knew nothing would ever be the same after that. Change could be good he guessed. It was also very scary.

His phone buzzed. He didn't recognize the number, meaning it could be Kelex calling through any number of lines.

"You better take that." Cisco suggested.

"Hello?"

"Barry, this is Diana. We are speaking with some people you may be interested in meeting. We have borrowed your large hangar. Please join us. You need to hear this."

Diana hung up, not giving Barry a chance to say anything, much less ask questions.

"I should go. Diana needs me. I guess you could say she is my new boss."

Raising his hand, Barry used the ring for the first time in front of Cisco and Caitlin, disappearing in less than a second.

"The suit can fit into a ring now, huh?"

Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. "Alien tech. I have seen things you wouldn't believe, Cisco. Dante, I am kind of tired tonight. Would you mind if we worked in the morning?"

"Of course, Caitlin. Have a good night."

Caitlin gave the man a shy smile and left for home, indeed very tired. This had been a night of revelations that had been long overdue. It felt good to be back. She was starting to go a bit stir crazy in the Block and missed her bed greatly.

Cisco was left with Dante, alone for the first time tonight.

"So, you trained Supergirl, huh?" the man asked to break the ice.

Dante smiled. "I guided her, helped her come to accept and master her powers. She was a girl on a mission. Do you know you were a week away from dying six years ago? Her and her sister are the reason humans did not go extinct. It cost them both a lot personally. For all intents and purposes, they gave up the latter half of their childhoods to save the world. Kara is very dear to me."

Cisco was taken back by the sincerity in his voice. There was obviously more to this man than just intimidating stares.

Ramon nearly jumped when Dante placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Everything Caitlin has told me about you says you are a good man, Cisco Ramon."

"Thank…" he stopped speaking when the hand squeezed his shoulder.

"That is why this conversation gives me no pleasure. I want us to be friends, so it is important you understand somethings. I need you to listen carefully. Are you listening?"

"Ye…yeah."

"I don't have a cute code name or shoot arrows, or swing around rooftops. What I am skilled at is war. I am very good at killing. Kara has given up her powers. I was very against you knowing this but the two of them insisted you could be trusted. I don't trust easily. I will be watching you. Kelex will be listening. If you tell this information to anyone, I will kill them, then I am coming for you to make sure you tell no one else. There is nothing I will not do to protect her. I killed to protect her when she was a child, and nothing has changed. If Oliver Queen finds out, Felicity Smoak, Laurel Lance, even Joe or Iris West, I will end them and you. I do not say this to intimidate you. It is just a fact. I have always protected Kara and I always will. I will make it quick and painless, because it is not personal, but it must be done. Do we understand each other?"

Cisco nodded his head furiously. He would have preferred the man, yell or use a menacing voice. Instead he just threatened death as if he were talking about the weather and that somehow made it worse.

"I am sure you have figured out that Kara is different than she is portrayed in public, correct?"

"Yeah…I mean…yes?"

"You will keep that to yourself, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, I am glad we can be friends, Cisco. I think I will follow Caitlin's lead and get some sleep. Good night."

While Cisco and Dante were having a get to know you session, Barry arrived at the hangar belonging to S.T.A.R. very quickly, wondering why Diana had chosen this place.

He guessed it was for the space because more were here than just his three new friends.

Three men, two wearing green rings and one wearing a red ring were sitting on chairs, along with Diana, Batman and J'onn.

"Hello everybody. Judging by the rings, we have two Green Lanterns and a Red Lantern." Barry guessed.

"You would be correct." Diana confirmed.

Barry moved, fast than Gardner could see and struck the man in the jaw, knocking him back off the chair and onto the floor.

"That was for having my friend touch that damn ring. You ever approach him again, I will end you."

Perhaps being around Connolly's team had rubbed off on him somewhat.

Gardner smiled and picked himself up off the floor, sat his chair upright and sat again.

"Nice to meet you too, Flash." the man offered, rubbing his jaw.

"So, what are they doing here?" the Flash asked his friends.

"I was called by Jordan and got mind zapped by a Martian." Guy told him.

"And I got kidnapped." Jordan added. Barry looked him over and noticed he had a black eye. Something told him Batman lost his temper.

"John Stewart. I am just here to keep the peace."

"That would be a change." Batman growled. "Why don't you tell our friend the Flash what you have told us. Everything. Right now."

Stewart let out a deep breath and began. He desperately wanted to take control of this meeting but with the Martian blocking any of them from using their rings, it was impossible. Hal had called him for help and Stewart realized too late that he could do nothing.

So, the man began, the history of the Lantern Corp, the split among the Corp and the wars among themselves and their mission to protect the galaxy from threats.

Barry wasn't happy with what he heard.

"You two and two others have been on this lane for years and you left it to Supergirl to do your jobs?" he asked.

Neither Stewart or Jordan had an answer.

"Why are there four of you here? If one of you is assigned to a sector, why are there four of you, doing nothing, on Earth?" Barry continued.

"Because of the number of aliens on Earth." Jordan finally answered.

Barry shook his head. "There are more aliens, dangerous aliens on War World. There aren't four Lanterns in that sector, are there. What is the real reason? Answer before I phase a hand in someone's chest."

Jordan and Stewart looked at each other. Diana stood moving to unclip her lasso when Jordan raised his hands for her to stop.

"The Guardians became concerned the first time Supergirl broke the atmosphere. At that point she became a potential threat to the universe. She had been heard threatening White Martians before, threatening to fly to Mars and burn them all. I realize what they did to you J'onn Jonzz, but it would have been genocidal all the same. Once she broke atmosphere she became the biggest threat in the galaxy. To be honest, I am not sure if four Lanterns could beat her. I don't know if the entire Corp could. Her strength is unprecedented. We have only watched from a distance…"

"Coward." Barry whispered. "Letting an 18year old girl save the world while you sat and spied on her."

Barry knew he needed to remain calm, but the idea of what Kara went through, when she could have had super powered backup, men and women who could fight by her side in the air, made him irrationally angry.

"What about you? Why are you here? To find the red ring?" he asked.

Gardner was not good at hiding his surprise. Barry Allen was very informed, and he had no doubt the Flash had recent contact with Lobo.

"Yeah, but we aren't having any luck. We don't patrol sections of the Universe like these boy scouts. We do our own thing. But if that ring attaches to someone your Martian won't be able to stop whoever it is. Our rings may require concentration now, but a new red doesn't work off concentration. It works off pure rage with no thought and no target in mind. It is a monster. If the ring attaches to someone it will take all my Reds and all four of their greens to hold them down and depending on the power of the person, it may not be enough. Where is Supergirl? She disappeared two years ago for a couple months and is gone now again? Is she taking a vacation, or what? We are going to need her to stop a new Red if the worst happens, and I always plan for the worst."

Diana stood up and approached Gardner.

"Where she is, I promise you, it is no concern of yours. The protection of the planet falls to us now. Stewart, you will be our liaison to the Greens and if we need you, then you will fight beside us. The rest of you, stay in hiding like you have been. Stay out of our way. If you find the ring, you will let Stewart know and he will inform us."

"Listen lady, we don't take orders from…" Stewart began until Diana moved from Gardner and placed her sword under Stewart's chin.

"That was not a request. This is our planet. Since J'onn has shown to be able to block your ability to use your weapons, I like my chances. To be truthful, I could most likely defeat you without him. What happens if I cut off your ring fingers? Do you have to get your pretty ring, resized?"

Stewart stared at the woman for a moment, impressed with her. She was not bluffing.

In truth he had wanted to become involved for years. He always felt guilty, following the Guardians lead and staying out of Supergirl's fights. She worked with humans who had no powers and they did more than the so called cosmic enforcers. Perhaps it was time to say to hell with it and become involved.

"Looks like we have a deal."

"A deal requires agreement on your part." Batman pointed out. "We weren't asking for agreement. Give J'onn your contact information. We plan to hit another alien drug facility soon. We will see what you bring to the table then."

Diana turned her attention back to Gardner who was enjoying watching the Green Lantern Corp being pushed around.

"You say Atrocitus is not on this planet? You are certain?"

Gardner nodded his head. "Pretty certain. We, me and the other Reds would have felt him."

Diana kept her face neutral, not wanting to give anything away.

"Stewart, give J'onn your contact information then all of you leave. Do not stay near or we will know. Go back to your lives. We will find you if we need more information."

The three wasted no time leaving. With the Martian blocking their abilities to use their rings, they were completely at the mercy of the four individuals and did not like it.

Once Alfred assured the team that they were gone, Diana began pacing.

"Atrocitus is on Earth. They are fools if they believe differently. J'onn were you able to place the mental blocks?"

J'onn grinned. "They will never be able to use their rings against us. The others can but as soon as we make contact, stopping them will be easy enough."

"Thank you."

Bruce watched the woman carefully. She waited around the hangar but was obviously deep in thought. He had the idea that she was thinking exactly what he and J'onn were thinking.

Finally, she walked back to them and sat.

"My half-brother never forced humans to use weapons. He did influence them, like a devil on their shoulders. Atrocitus is here. He must be. He is biding his time and we all know who he is after."

Barry shook his head.

"Kara is done."

"Kara is not done. She has a crystal in her body that can easily be removed by her own hands. Bruce, if you wanted to turn her into a weapon, if you wanted her to return and take the ring, how would you do it?"

Bruce had thought of this many times.

"I would create a situation that posed a great danger to her family or humanity in general. The danger would have to be so great that she could potentially lose. Kara does not like to lose. If she thought the ring was the only way to win, she would take it without a second thought."

"Exactly." Diana agreed. "But what could possibly pose that much of a threat?"

"I have no idea."

Barry shivered at the thought. The idea of Kara turning into some rage monster, lost in her own madness after she was finally so close to peace, frightened the hell out of him.

"Whatever it is, he has to be near. He has to be planning." Diana said, more to herself. "If we can't find the ring, we can find him. We must. That ring is here for Kara and we cannot let that happen. Barry, I realize Bruce told you to take all the time you need but that is no longer the case. If Stewart is trustworthy and I suspect he is, he could be a powerful asset. So, could this Curry if we can track him to one location. I need to know now Barry. Are you in or out? This team needs you and if we can't have you, we need to find a replacement we can trust."

The Flash was surprised. He thought Batman was direct, but the guy was much subtler than the Amazon.

"I'm in. 100%."

Diana smiled for the first time that night.

"Then this may work. Priorities have changed. The transporters will be needed but we must also follow any leads that could pinpoint this Atrocitus and find out what threat is on this Earth that could possibly defeat Kara. For now, we hit Alien bars, communes, anywhere information can be found. We are going to follow every lead. Time is of the essence and everything in me is telling me that monster is on this planet, planning while we wait. I do not like waiting."


	25. Chapter 25

Do not own DC or CW characters

Thank you for the reviews last chapter. I haven't had a chance to respond to some of you and I am sorry. I hope you enjoy this chapter and if I haven't heard from you in a while drop me a line to let me know you are still out there. Have a happy Sunday!

 **Chapter 25 Going Steady**

The first breakfast back in Midvale was reminiscent in a way of the fist time she ate in the house after she met Jeremiah and Eliza.

Alex, Jeremiah and Eliza were staring at her, trying to appear casual but failing miserably.

"Good morning everybody." Kara tried.

None of the three said anything and Clark was busy downing a massive amount of bacon.

Kara let out a breath.

"Who wants to be first?"

"I…uh…so, did you sleep good? How are you feeling today?" Alex asked, deciding to get the elephant in the room dealt with.

"I just woke. I have no idea how I feel. My super reliable sleeping pill put me out at bed time and I woke up nine hours later to food. Can't be that bad, right?"

"Was your mattress comfortable? Alex said hers was a bit lumpy. Jeremiah is picking her up a new one. The mattresses in the house are so old. Would you like a new one?" Eliza asked.

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "Doesn't really matter. I take the pill, go to sleep ten minutes later whether I want to or not and then, I open my eyes and there is sunlight. I could sleep on the ground and doubt I would notice."

No one had any comment, so Kara grabbed a slice of toast. Reaching for the butter and a knife to spread it, she first noticed the silver ware was plastic.

The girl found this strange since all the other belongings were in the house. Standing up, noticing that no one was looking at, her she moved to the kitchen drawer where the silverware had always been kept.

The drawer was empty.

"That's…different." she commented, trying her best to sound casual and then decided to forgo the attempt. "No knives I get, but no spoons or forks?"

Jeremiah looked at her for a moment then shrugged his shoulders. "Give it a few months." He offered. Kara figured that was the most she would get and instead of pushing the issue accepted it and ate. The food was good, some of her taste coming back to her. Food still didn't appeal to her, but she made herself eat and it was becoming easier.

Of course, it seemed like everything she did was a test. Alex and Eliza watched every bite she took, no doubt planning on talking to each other about it later.

The girl expected this. She knew she would be watched closely, Jeremiah had told her as much. But being treated like she was suicidal was taking it a bit far in her opinion. The meds hadn't made her feel suicidal except for the one instance early on where her hallucination of Astra encouraged her to kill herself. Other than that, she had not even harmed herself.

Thinking back on it, there were no sharp objects in the cafeteria at the Block. Even the plastic knives had been dulled.

"I'm not going to do anything to myself." she blurted out.

Clark stopped chewing on bacon long enough to look at her. He didn't appear angry, but he didn't appear amused either.

"Then you shouldn't care if there are sharp objects around or not, right?"

Kara's cheeks turned red, and not from embarrassment. She had no doubt the meds were helping keep her temper in check and were doing so now. Still, she couldn't let her younger brother call her out.

"Watch what you say to me." she told him quietly. "I get I have screwed up in the past, but you won't talk to me like I am a child."

"Then stop getting upset that there aren't any knives around. You are the one who cut your wrists…"

"Clark!" Eliza snapped. "Enough. Let it go. We know you won't hurt yourself, Kara. Give us a couple months to make sure the meds are working correctly. There is no reason to put anything in this house that might tempt you, is there?"

"No, I guess not." Kara mumbled, embarrassed and angry that Clark had called her out.

A few more minutes went by in silence before Kara excused herself and walked outside. As soon as she was gone, Alex slapped back of Clark's head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked.

"What? We stayed with her for months, we moved for her and now we have to listen to her whine about no sharp objects being around? Am I the only one tired of explaining things to her whenever she whines? She has done enough stuff and we are just supposed to trust her now because we are all back in Midvale? We left National City, our friends, my school, our home and she should at least be quiet and not complain."

Alex rubbed her forehead, debated going after Kara, or walking Clark to a cliff and tossing him off it. Of course, he would just fly, taking all the fun out of it.

"She is trying, Clark. She has done everything we have asked of her." Alex reminded him. "You expect her to not question anything? I never dreamed we would get this far!"

The boy shrugged his shoulders.

"She hated when I questioned anything growing up." he fairly pointed out.

Alex stared at him for a moment, before getting up and moving towards her room. She wouldn't follow Kara but wasn't getting involved in one of her and Clark's sibling arguments.

Left alone with his parents, Clark let out a breath.

"Probably shouldn't have said anything, huh?" he guessed, judging by the look on his parents' face.

"You miss National City, don't you?" Jeremiah guessed.

"Not really." Clark admitted. "I…I don't know. I guess so much has changed and it's all because of her. It just irritates me sometimes. I'm glad she is doing better, I really am, but she can't just sit down and eat without asking about metal objects? She knows why she can't have them! We are all using plastic forks and knives, but did you hear me, or Alex complain?"

Jeremiah thought of saying something, anything, but a look at Eliza told him she would handle it later. Clark was in a mood and until it passed there was nothing they could say that wouldn't irritate him more. The boy had gone through a lot of changes and found out a lot of new information, bad information in the last few months.

A couple hours later when Kara had still not returned, he headed up to Alex's room, finding her on her bed with her laptop.

"What are you doing?" he asked, already knowing she was irritated from the look she gave him.

"I have Kelex giving me satellite footage of Kara, making sure she doesn't jump off a cliff, jerk. What the hell is your problem? You said you wanted her to quit, both of us to quit and we did. You wanted her to participate and she did. Now you decide to get back at her for being bossy when you were a baby? Really? You couldn't wait six months?"

Clark said nothing, admitting she probably had a point. Truthfully, he didn't know why he was so irritated this morning. Alex was right, Kara was doing what they all asked of her.

Perhaps it was because he was still stung about the secrets that had been kept from him and now that they were back in the real world, so to speak, it hit him harder.

"Where is she at?" he asked.

Alex looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just tell me where she is. The cave, right?"

To his surprise, his older sister shook her head.

"The cliff over the ocean, in front of the cave. She hasn't gone in. I hope she never goes into that damn hole in the ground again. I've taken care of her since you both landed. I have gone through hell with her, so don't think I don't get it. I am sick of the things she has done too, but she has also done a lot of good. You try walking in her shoes for a while and see how you handle it."

Clark decided he wouldn't get back on Alex's good side and honestly didn't want to. She was in a mood right now and he knew why. He also figured he better bring Kara back before she did something to herself and his Mom and Dad blamed him, and to be honest he blamed himself.

Checking with his vision to make sure no one was watching, including his Mom and Dad, the boy moved quickly, only a blur to everyone in the world besides the Flash. He found her in less than twenty seconds.

Surprisingly she was not pouting, or crying, nor did she appear angry. Instead she was sitting by the cliff, legs crossed with a smile on her face, deep in meditation. He remembered seeing her do this a few times with Dante in the past before she ran him off.

Deciding not to disturb her, he sat on the ground quietly, watching her for ten minutes. Clark was surprised at the smile on her face. It appeared natural, not forced and she really did seem relaxed.

Finally, her eyes opened, and she stretched her arms over her head, then stood.

Kara jumped back a bit when she saw him.

"I'm going to have to get used to not hearing heartbeats. How long have you been there?"

"About ten minutes. You looked happy. I didn't want to interrupt you." he admitted. "I guess you are probably mad at me, huh?"

To his shock, Kara smiled and shook her head.

"I don't really have a right to be mad at you about anything. Yeah, I didn't expect it, but I did kind of uproot your life, lied to you for most of your life and put you through hell, like everybody else. I shouldn't have said anything. I guess being in Midvale kind of made me forget about the Block for a bit and when I saw the plastic ware it reminded me that everything was not okay, so I opened my mouth. I shouldn't have mentioned it. No one has any reason to believe me and I can't blame them. I don't know if I believe me most of the time."

Clark was speechless for a moment, having expected some sort of argument or reproach. Instead she was walking around, away from the cliff, looking at the ground with a slight grin on her face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, completely thrown by her behavior.

"Thinking how much it is going to cost to get these trees cut into lumber. You are pulling them up, big guy, but I hate to destroy nature. I'm thinking if I could make the wood part of my house it would still be here in a way."

Kara pointed beyond a third very tall tree about five hundred feet away from the cliff.

"This is where I ran out of land and turned back to find the cave and Alex. I plan to dig a water pipe ditch and hook into the city water. I'm going to cheat and use an Omegahedron to power the house and pass it off as solar energy. I am certain I can build this house myself. HVAC, plumbing, electrical, it's all child's play. The hardest part is moving the material, but luckily I have a little brother who can lift a lot."

Clark looked around and only saw wilderness and the ocean beyond it. Kara was apparently seeing something on this ground that he couldn't.

"You are really going to build a house, here?"

Kara nodded. "I really am. I can't live with Mom and Dad forever, but I love this area. It's so private, so peaceful. I want to spend the rest of my life here. It's one of the things I've always wanted. I never wanted a mansion, or some huge compound like on Krypton. I wanted something like we grew up in, warm and large but small enough that we could hear each other, no matter where we were in the home. That's what this is going to be. The first time I arrived here, I took a moment to rest. I'm going to enjoy that moment now and make it last."

Clark grinned, not seeing her vision, but loving the look on her face. It was one he had not seen in a very long time.

It looked like hope.

"It's too boring here for me. I want to live in Metropolis. I'll come visit you though." he promised, causing her to laugh.

She sat on the ground and motioned him over. He played along and sat next to her.

"You are now sitting on my recliner. At least will it be one day. When we first landed, I was trying to decide how we could find a place to sleep. I looked at the trees and figured I could make a house for us, when people stopped chasing us. I had no idea how at the time, but I promised myself I would give you the life I had on Krypton."

Clark shook his head.

"From everything you have told me about Krypton, I think I have it a lot better here. You did good."

"I did horribly. I haven't protected you. I failed you and I know it. I thought if I could do enough, save enough people, beat enough bad guys you wouldn't notice that I was an addict. I wanted to be your hero, but I never really earned it. I wish I had. I remember you asking me to taste a cookie, you know?"

Clark had no idea what she was talking about. Baking cookies wasn't really his thing. Eating them was more his specialty.

Kara saw his confusion and chuckled.

"I saw Astra in the bathroom, I felt her, I could feel her breath. It was so real, when I was fighting her, everything around me was gone. I didn't see anyone, didn't notice I was crashing through walls and throwing people off me. All I felt were her cold hands, then I felt your arms. You flew into me, and wrapped me up, whispered to me to taste a cookie you made. Alex slipped a sedative in my mouth and that was it. But you…you were the one who did something no one else could do. You held me. You shouldn't have been that strong but in that moment, when it counted, you were. You saved me."

Clark felt a lot of pride at that but shrugged it off. "I just didn't want everyone thinking all Kryptonians were crazy."

The boy instantly regretted saying it, but Kara took it in stride.

"Sorry." he whispered.

"Don't be. I love that you don't step around me like I am glass. I need that. I am sorry, Clark. I wish I had never been so weak, but I am going to do this. I have broken promises to you before and I can understand if you don't believe me, but I am going to beat this. I will be someone you can be proud of."

"I am proud of you." he told her.

"No, you were proud of Supergirl. I've never given you reason to be proud of just me, but I plan to. Now stand up and I'll give you a tour. I'll show you the plans when we get back to the house. You just have to use your imagination, Clark. It's going to be perfect. Okay, maybe not perfect, but it will be ours, and you are going to do all the heavy lifting."

After giving him a walking tour of the imaginary ground floor and unsuccessfully trying to make him see her vision of the second floor, the boy left with a promise she wouldn't be far behind.

Kara stayed for a moment, smiling once he was gone and taking several deep breaths, needing to set her own schedule in her mind. Linda, her substance abuse counselor and Leslie, of course, had gone over many techniques and life changes that she would have to incorporate, especially in her first 90 days at home.

In the past, before she left for college in National City, structure was everything to Kara. She had routines and loved them. She trained, she studied everything she could get her hands on in regards to Earth and nature, she had activities with Alex, Eliza, Jeremiah and even Clark's sports schedules. She painted, she read, she watched television and though she didn't obsessively plan these events, Kara was a creature of habit, her activities following an unacknowledged schedule. It helped, especially in her mid-teens when she had begun to combat the self-harm she had tortured herself with. The behavior had nearly completely gone away until she moved to National City and her carefully structured life changed.

Now she needed a schedule badly. Her plan had been in place a week before she left the Block. She knew when she would sleep, when she would wake, times in the morning to meditate, then work out and eat. Kara knew what she would eat, when she would read, how she would deal with severe cravings and even when she would paint.

And of course, meetings and therapy sessions, along with house visits from Shay to monitor her medication were a big part of her new life.

She would also have to think about a job, some sort of career. Kara suspected her mother and father would assume she would restore vehicles or be a street artist, but Kara did not want that. Those were hobbies she loved, but she wanted a job, one that she cared about, that she could excel at. The blonde never considered Catco a real job. It was more of a place to hang out with Lois and Cat in between rescues or battles. Before that, she had never been allowed to have a job. Her parents had, correctly, believed she was not stable enough for one.

But if she planned to have a human life, she wanted a human job she cared about. Figuring out what the career might be would be the challenge.

The girl did jump when the ground shook and the sound of falling rock hit her ears. Thinking she was under attack, Kara did the thing she shouldn't have done, she ran towards the danger. The noise was coming from the general direction of the cave.

At least what used to be the cave. Now it was a crater, the ground that had covered the top of it, crushed into the opening below.

Alex approached from the other side, eyes wide and looking her little sister over and relieved she was okay. Kara shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what to think.

The rocks moved in the center and both sisters prepared, then realized they were unprepared. Alex had no handguns or blades and Kara had no weapons of any kind, nor heat vision.

A small dirty figure emerged from the center of the hole, pushing rock, damp rich soil and some small boulders away. Finally, his feet were clear, and Clark hopped out of the crater then looked at it with grim satisfaction.

"What did you do?" Kara whispered.

"I hit the top of the cavern over and over again and caused it to collapse. If you want to live in front of that thing, I can't stop you, but you won't go inside that cave again." the boy told her.

Kara stood speechless for a moment, mind racing on how to fix this.

"I…I wasn't planning to, Clark. Its…but…I was…"

"What?" Clark asked, figuring Kara would rationalize the thing staying. "I don't want you in there anymore, so I made sure you couldn't. You want to get better, then you shouldn't care."

"We were going to put concrete around it to seal it up!" Alex finally shouted. Clark turned around, facing his older sister for the first time.

"Concrete?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yeah." Kara confirmed. "There are actually three small caves like this, really just small pockets of air covered by rock from the storms over the centuries. I need the ground level with no standing water, so the foundation of the house can be laid securely. The caves were natural draining spots for rainwater, so I planned to close them up by pumping wet mixtures of concerts into them, especially the openings and then using the surrounding rock layers and grooves in the concrete to make a series of natural drainage ditches that would lead to the small pond a half mile west of here."

Alex shook her head and gritted her teeth. "That way the foundation would not be susceptible to large amounts of sitting water and there would be no way the caves could catch all the water, possibly back flooding during storms and interfering with the ground around the house." she explained. "You brat. Why don't you ask…"

"No!" Kara stopped her. "Its fine. It's no big deal. I appreciate the sentiment. Its…we can work around this. I am going to have to excavate the hole and…it might be easier in the long term like this. Go get cleaned up, Clark, before Mom finds out you are rearranging the geology of the cliff. I can fix this."

The boy mumbled an apology and ran off in a blur, leaving a shocked Kara and an irritated Alex.

"Thats going to put us back. Not too much though. So we start in a couple months on the foundation instead of next month." Alex told her. "I'm sorry he…"

"Don't apologize for him. He has a right to be angry. Things haven't been easy for any of you, for any of us. I think it will take some time. I know it will. I know that no one in that house, including you, trusts me not to fall back into old habits, no matter what I do. I don't trust myself completely. But it will come. I'm going to do it this time, Alex. This house… in the past I restored broken things. Now I am going to build something new, something that has never been broken. Something strong that can stand on cliff, facing the ocean in a storm and not move. We should get back. I have to redesign my drainage system."

It was three days later that Kara arrived in Raleigh on her bike, much to Jeremiah's chagrin. He tried to talk her into a car, but she refused. His argument that her reflexes could be affected by the medication did not dissuade her. Outside of the church recreation center, Alfred waited for her. The two walked inside, Kara disguised with her newly colored and straightened milk chocolate hair, along with her glasses. Kara Danvers was once again making herself blend into the background of life. She still needed these groups. Her substance abuse counselor told her she did, and Kara had followed directions, plus she found them comforting.

But this was the first trip into the city. Her parents wanted to come with her, but it wasn't an open meeting. Kara needed Alfred, so of course he was there, as he promised, despite the distance. She had not been out of the house before this, avoiding the news, avoiding the small village of Midvale, avoiding people in general. As much as Kara missed knowing what was going on in the world while she was in the Block, now she was afraid to see what was going on. She told herself she just needed time to acclimate but that wasn't it. She was frightened of knowing who she could have saved and didn't.

Kara did not speak at the meeting, simply sat in the back of the surprisingly large gathering next to Alfred and listened. Being at the Block where everyone knew who she was, groups were easier. Now her old paranoia stepped in a bit and she was reluctant to draw attention to herself. This would have to change, but not tonight.

When she returned home, Kara spotted Alex in the driveway, talking to someone. At times like this, she wished she still had her super hearing. Moving in closely and quietly, she recognized the voice, one that surprised the hell out of her.

"Heavy steps, Al Malek." Nyssa told her. "You are quiet, but you are not me."

Kara smiled and shook her head, walking towards her best friend who was apparently working her charms on Alex, judging by the look on both their faces.

"I know I am not you. I am much better with knives, and hand to hand combat. I give you swords and archery but up close, I cannot be beat. Alex can't either. Have you figured that out yet? It looks like you two have gotten very close tonight."

"No! Nyssa was just here to see you. I was telling her that you were in Raleigh and…and…" Alex stuttered.

"Why don't you come in, Nyssa? Mom and Dad would love to meet you." Kara offered. "You can both lie and say you are here to see me."

"No!" Alex told them quickly. "Mom and Dad don't need to meet Nyssa tonight. Its past your bedtime…I can't believe I just said that." the older sister admitted, embarrassed for her and Kara.

"I can't either, but you will never live it down, Kara." Nyssa promised. "It is late. Alex and I were just returning from dinner ourselves. Perhaps another night, a bit earlier?"

Kara nodded, admitting to herself it was a little late for her parents to meet Kara's bestie and the former head of the League of Assassins. They had not brought up her involvement with that organization but had no doubt it would be spoken about when they met Nyssa.

"That's a good idea. Are you going to be in the area for a few days?"

"I am. I'll be near. Alex, would you mind if I have a moment with Kara, alone?"

Alex looked at her suspiciously, but silently agreed, walking inside and leaving the two friends alone.

"Took Alex out, huh? If she and Cameron hadn't broken up, how long until Agent Chase would have had an unfortunate accident?" Kara asked playfully.

"I would never." Nyssa retorted. "We did have fun. She is unique as you have told me many times. How are you? I've been worried."

Kara shrugged it off, trying to appear tough and sure she was failing miserably.

"It's hard. I thought the meeting tonight would help but being around so many people I didn't know and listening to stories all night, it wasn't great. It helped I guess. It makes me feel like I'm not…it's hard to explain."

Nyssa lightly grabbed Kara's shoulder.

"You don't have to. Just remember there are others here for you besides Bruce Wayne's butler and your family. The League and oaths may be dissolved but our oaths were to each other. I will always be here for you."

"I know." Kara whispered, a tear forming in her eye.

Her and Nyssa had spent many nights in Nanda Parbat talking about everything. When Alex had moved in with Cameron, Nyssa was Kara's life line to stave off the loneliness as Kara's was hers. Mostly they talked about darkness in their lives and wondering if there was another way to live. Kara was fortunate in that she had a loving family, something Nyssa never had. The two knew what it was like to share blood with those you were ashamed of. They knew what it meant to be woken up by the cries of dead who demanded justice. Nyssa had fought her father's battles all her life and wanted to fight her own after his death. But once Merlyn was dead, the enemies were not as clear.

They had set their sights on Darhk, but he was also dead now and they were here, in Midvale, North Carolina. Kara's wish was to be here. Nyssa did not know where she wanted to be. They were both at a new point in their lives. Neither had anymore enemies to fight, other than the darkness inside them.

The two hugged and Nyssa left in her Mercedes, leaving Kara in the driveway, watching her go, wondering where the hell she was staying. With Nyssa it could be the top of a tree, a cave, or a Penthouse suite. Nothing would surprise her.

 **Star City**

The yellow skinned Tsauran, Raun, ran through the warehouse in a panic. His cloaking device was destroyed taking away any chance to appear human and blend into a crowd. That left dark and abandoned places to hide.

And he definitely needed to hide.

It had been simple visit to a drug den, a place off even beaten alien maps, known only to the most dangerous aliens in the tri state area. It was the place, deep underground where they all hoped She would not hear them. No one had to say who She was. Supergirl stayed out of the alien drug trade, according to some rumors, because she was the bigger customer. But having a stash of alien weapons to sell would catch her attention, leading to dismemberment at best and a painful death at worst, if she became involved.

Because of this, Star City aliens kept an extremely low profile, unlike the idiots in Metropolis and National City who practically flaunted being alien in the open, congregating at easy to find bars if one knew where to look.

Star City was safe.

Which was why even panicked, he thought of and did not understand what was going on. It had been a small gathering, discussing business with some associates, playing poker and discussing the latest rumors involving Supergirl and her team of vigilantes, the new metahuman villains and heroes cropping up and bounty hunters like Lobo's whereabouts.

The bright explosion was completely unexpected, and he worried immediately that Supergirl had found them.

Raun was only slightly less worried when he saw it was her friend in black who had entered through the ceiling.

Batman for some reason had taken an interest in their little club and was destroying the place, all shadows and explosions. The alien had been too stunned to move until he saw one of his associates face slashed, spraying blood over the room and across his face. Raun did what he did best when confronted with open hostilities. He ran.

Eight people in the room, eight distinct species and Batman had to pick him to chase. The Tsauran swore he could hear the cape flapping in the wind above him, the moving of pipes from above keeping up with him with ease.

No human should have been that fast, making him think once again, this Batman was not human.

His racing thoughts ended when he looked forward again and ran straight into a fist.

The darkness he had run into cleared and he quickly realized he was hanging upside down by his feet and his face was even with a very dark cowl.

"You are the Tsauran named Raun. You were seen last month in Metropolis speaking to a man named Rankorr. He is here on Earth and I know his boss is too. Where are they? Tell me where Atrocitus is."

Raun thought of speaking, weighed the pros and cons in seconds. Normally the man did whatever it took to avoid pain. He was a businessman, not a warrior.

But there were certain rules you lived by if you were an alien on Earth. The first being don't piss off Supergirl, the second being, don't talk about the Lanterns, at least those who knew about their existence and the third, don't talk about Sinestro, Atrocitus or Brainiac. Who knew if they were listening?

Though this man had him very afraid, Raun had seen videos of Atrocitus and his Reds in the past, wiping out planets. Yes, he had met with the human Red Lantern but Rankorr only wanted to find out if rumors about Lobo were true and who he was looking for. Raun had no idea and that was it.

Now, he was about to be beaten, perhaps killed, for the conversation.

"I don't know…"

His denial was met with another fist, this time to his scaly forehead, disorienting him even more.

"If I let you down, it will be for only one of two reasons. One, I let you go because you told me everything I wanted to know or two, I drop you to the floor because it will be easier to break your legs on the ground. I know you know about the Lanterns. Not many people do but you were talking to Rankorr. He is Atrocitus' right hand. If he is on Earth, so is Atrocitus. I want to know where."

"Nobody talks about him. Nobody talks about the Lanterns." Raun whispered. "How do you know that name?"

"Because the Lanterns talk to me. Like you, they don't have a choice. Where is he?!"

"I don't know! You think he would tell me? They could be anywhere with those damn rings. They can form tubes, fly at light speed in space! He could be on Earth one second and gone the next to the other side of the galaxy!"

Batman internally winced, suspecting as much. Still he knew that wasn't true. If the red ring was here and Atrocitus needed Kara, he would be near, taking care of this himself.

"What did Rankorr want to know?"

Raun thought of lying but a hand on his windpipe stopped that thought immediately.

"If I have to repeat another question you are going to lose a part of your body that you will miss."

"He wanted to know why Lobo was hunting Atrocitus. Wanted to know any rumors about a red ring on Earth, who was spreading them and if Lobo had taken anyone who would know anything. I told him I didn't know because it's the truth! People avoid Lobo like they avoid Kara Zor El. I told him I didn't know! He wouldn't tell me where he was staying any more than I would tell him where I was staying!"

Batman took the man in, frustrated, knowing the scum was right. It was worth a shot since Barry was taking care of another problem in Star City. Following up on a rumor one of Dante's informants had sent him, it seemed like a good place to start, while Diana ad J'onn hit other communes, drug dens and bars of the alien world, looking for information. Apparently, Diana had decided to take along Stewart, a get to know you trip, she called it. In other words, she wanted to know if she could trust him at all and how strong he really was.

"Tell your friends the drug and weapons trade are over. We know about Star City now. Find another hole in the ground to hide and we will find you there as well. Now, run."

Batman cut the line and in less than a second from hitting the pavement, the Tsauran was gone, stumbling then sprinting away.

Batman watched him go, ignoring the man behind him.

"That was different." Oliver Queen admitted, stepping out of the shadows he had been observing from.

"Never seen an alien?" Batman asked, still not facing the Arrow.

"Just the homicidal, emotionally unstable blondes with god like powers. Why are you here, in Star City?"

Batman thought of not answering him. He had no reason to. Still he decided to play along.

"Taking care of business while a friend of mine takes care of a matter of importance."

"If it is important, you should have come to me. Star City is my city."

Batman grinned and finally turn to face the hooded figure.

"Thats strange. I could have sworn the statue in front of Palmer Tech was of a young woman in a skirt and cape. I haven't seen any monuments to a man wearing a hood. You can't do much to change that either, can you Mayor Queen? Your approval ratings would go down if you publicly attacked a heroine the police and public adore. That must sting, doesn't it?"

Oliver shook his head and pulled back his hood.

"I don't do this for statues."

"And you don't own any city. I will come and go as I please. My friend will be here any moment with some information for you. I knew you would be watching. Its why I allowed Miss Smoak to pick up the encrypted alien code across her net I transmitted from my tracking beacon. What just happened with that thing is not something you need to worry about. What Barry has found is something Mayor Queen needs to worry about."

On cue, Barry arrived, surprised to see Oliver talking to Batman.

"Were we having a meeting?" the man asked, noting the tension between the two but satisfied that a vigilante brawl did not appear imminent.

"Barry." Oliver greeted him. "I see you have made more friends than just Supergirl."

"Hey Oliver." Barry greeted, not taking the bait. He then handed a small camera to Batman.

"Just like Kelex said. It's amazing, a whole city underground, houses, artificial sunshine, even recordings of birds singing. Creepy as hell and abandoned, but there. I ran the whole thing. No aliens or signs of any other life forms."

Batman nodded, expecting as much. Aliens usually knew all the dirty secrets of the human world. Darhk and HIVE kept theirs very protected. The enormity of what the man accomplished staggered his mind. How he did it without him or Kara noticing…of course neither really paid attention to Star City. Kara and Nyssa had just begun to get interested in Darhk when Kara was taken to rehab.

Batman handed the camera to the Arrow.

"The reason Darhk attacks the docks to stop the cleanup is he and HIVE needed the algae for an oxygen source, part of one that was self sustaining. Underneath Star City, he and HIVE managed to construct a huge fallout shelter, an actual city underground. It needed self-sustaining oxygen because he planned to unleash the entire world's nuclear arsenal on itself and rebuild from the ashes once enough time had gone by. The city is abandoned, the plans stopped but the area is still there. If it becomes structurally unsound, it could very well turn into a massive sinkhole. At the least, Mayor Queen, I would recommend having an engineering team, inspect it. Perhaps you can turn it into an underground amusement park. I understand the City isn't doing well financially."

Queen smirked and shook his head. He had wondered what reason Darhk had for preventing the Bay restoration project.

"I see. I'll have my people investigate it. Thank you."

"There is something else, Oliver. Something you won't like, at all." Barry told him, in a tone of voice Oliver had never heard from the man. Barry sounded worried and…sad?

"I assumed when I came back out in a hood after my leg healed and wasn't murdered by your new girlfriend that I was safe from God's fury. What does she want now? I know she isn't gone."

Batman held his tongue, reliving in his mind all the sermons he had given Kara about controlling her temper. Instead of a retort, the man slipped a small drive from his belt and handed it to Queen.

"HIVE had discussed continuing what they called Genesis. There was a meeting. As I am sure you know, we have technology that makes it impossible to hide anything from us, so long as there is a cell phone or any other device that has a microphone or voice tech on it. We listened in on the meeting. We also have video. John Diggle's brother was giving information on you, your family, your lair and its location. The members decided not to follow through but left Andy behind as a mole. Your suspicions were right, Oliver. John's brother is and always has been a member of HIVE and he is a danger. How you handle it, that is your problem. Barry wanted you to know."

A rope dropped down from the ceiling and Batman was gone. Oliver didn't even follow his path up to the jet, staring at the drive in his hand.

Barry watched his old friend closely, trying to imagine the emotions going through him. This was the kind of thing that could tear teams apart and he knew it.

"I'm sorry, man." Barry offered, not knowing what else to say. "B…Batman wanted to handle it himself, but I thought you should. I…I maybe should have come to you sooner but there…"

"Stop Barry." Oliver told him, holding up a hand. "Like he said, I suspected this. I have to talk to John…I don't even know what to do with his brother. We can't just lock him up. Maybe Lyla can take him into ARGUS custody but John…I'll figure it out. We will get by. We always do."

Oliver slipped the drive into his pocket and pulled up his hood.

"Who is Atrocitus?" he finally asked.

Barry's face turned grim.

"Someone we desperately need to find and stop before it's too late. An alien, one with a lot of power, one who is very, very deadly."

Oliver nodded his head, expecting as much.

"I didn't even know there were aliens in Star City. No matter what our differences of opinion on Supergirl are, you know I am here for you, if you need me, right?"

"Yeah." Barry admitted. "I do. Same for me."

"This Atrocitus, is he something you are going to need help with or is that why Supergirl has been missing? Is she taking care of it?"

Barry didn't answer right away. He would say nothing about Supergirl but what did Oliver need to know? Was there anything he could do to help? Barry knew Bruce did not like Oliver Queen but if Diana thought Oliver could be a help, she would have asked for him.

"Probably best to stay out of it and look out for Star City. If we can't handle it, you will be the first person I call. If I call you, Star City and the world is going to need all the protection it can get from whoever is left. See you later." Barry told him and was gone, leaving Oliver Queen and a path of lightning in his wake.

 **Midvale four days later**

Barry arrived at Kara's for the first time since she had been home in Midvale. He wanted to come with her, but she had asked for some time to acclimate and to hold off till Monday. The man wasn't sure why but gave her what she wanted. They had talked every night after Barry's ongoing combat training and to his surprise she did not ask about the battles the Justice League, as Cat Grant had dubbed them, fought in public. Not that there had been many, but he expected Kara would have been absorbing all the news she could, once she was home.

He then suspected that she had avoided news altogether. From what Barry knew of her, avoidance was a big key to Kara's psyche when faced with something uncomfortable. She avoided talking about drugs or alcohol before rehab, hated leaving the Block for an afternoon, tried to avoid him by pushing him away and now, wanted to avoid the news and knowledge of what the world thought of her disappearance.

The man appeared at the back of the house, just as Kara was arriving home apparently, looking like hell. She was wearing jogging shorts and a tank top with a sports bra underneath, bright yellow and blue Nikes on her feet and her brown hair in a tight, wet ponytail.

Her face was bright red, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. Her body was covered in sweat and the girl bent over, placing her hands on her knees.

"You…you are early." she whispered, through deep breaths.

"Yeah…are you okay?"

Kara nodded her head. "Just out for a run with Alex. The gym in the Block kept me strong but I don't have a lot of history using my lungs without my powers." she explained then stood up, placing her hands behind her head.

"So, running six miles with Alex can be kind of challenging. I am getting better though. My lungs are fine, I just have to get used to pushing them, like I have been pushing my muscles. Let me shower and we can hang out."

"Where is Alex? You said you were running with her?"

Kara nodded her head. "She has probably been home for twenty minutes now. Like I said, not that fast yet. Come inside."

Barry followed Kara, kind of amused, seeing the formerly indestructible Supergirl out of breath from a six-mile run.

Then he remembered that before he was struck by lightning, Barry would not have attempted a six-mile run.

Inside, Eliza and Jeremiah were waiting for him, A recently showered Alex, smiling sweetly as she tossed a towel to Kara.

This was first time he had seen inside the Midvale home that Kara always spoke of with such reverence. It was easy to see why. Like the house in National City, this one was homey, no touch of vacation home in it. But it also felt more her. He knew Alex and Kara never lived in their parents National City home but the two had spent their childhood together in this place and he desperately wished these walls could talk.

Barry had a sinking feeling that the only reason Kara was not insane was because of the love she felt in this house. This was the place that shaped her as much as Krypton. The darkness may have come from Krypton, but the light came from Midvale.

Once they all had a seat and he heard the shower start up, he asked how she had been doing.

"Still not watching the News." Alex answered. "I think it's a good thing but they…" she motioned towards her parents…" think she is avoiding."

Jeremiah shook his head. "She is avoiding but thats not a big deal right now. Honestly everything is going better than I hoped. I wish she would get out more."

"It will happen at her own pace. She did go to a meeting but should be going to more. Alfred called this morning, wanting her to meet him in Raleigh tomorrow night. It's an open meeting so Alex is going to go to this one and we will rotate." Eliza explained. "All of us going at once may be too much for her. We are going all going to try Al Anon meetings while she is in hers. Other than that, we are taking it a day at a time. Her attitude has been as positive as it had been at the Block."

Barry read between the lines. They may have seemed pleased and probably were, but they were also scared. Kara was doing good and he was sure history had taught them that regarding her, things could change quickly.

"So," Jeremiah started, wanting to change the subject before Kara's shower was done. "What plans do you two have for today?"

Barry was kind of taken off guard by that. He hadn't really had any plans besides hanging out with Kara.

"I…thought we would just hang out here…"

"Please don't." Alex told him quickly. "Take her somewhere, anywhere. Let her drive her bike, ride with her, run alongside her, I don't care, just get her out. She has been doing good, but she hasn't had one bit of fun since she was let out. Take her to a movie, anything. The anxiety meds are doing good and you know how to read her if things are going bad. Just please, take her somewhere. I will give you money if you need any."

"Yeah, me too." Jeremiah chipped in. "I'll pay you to take her out. She is getting way out of hand with the structure thing. I get that its important, but she is acting like she is in the military or prison. She spent more time fixing her schedule to include long distance running than she spent running. Take her, please."

So that was what Barry did. Kara seemed very reluctant to leave, making excuses to show Barry where she planned to build her house, her favorite sitting place on the beach, her favorite areas in the woods.

Her parents and sister assured her that she could do all that in the morning and Barry was welcome to stay the night if he wished.

So, changing into her riding clothes, jeans, cotton top, black leather jacket and black riding boots with helmet, she began the journey to Raleigh, not having a clue what to do, while Barry held on behind her.

It was during the last miles to the city after she had come to be very comfortable with his arms around her waist that she hatched her plan.

Barry expected a lot of things, perhaps a park on the outside of the city or maybe Kara would be ready enough to venture to the downtown area and visit the Botanical Garden she had told him she loved.

Anything was possible except what he did find himself in front of.

They had arrived at a Garden of a sort. A Hilton Garden Inn to be more precise.

Barry stayed outside on the bike, speechless, while Kara walked inside. Coming back out ten minutes later, she had a key card in hand and motioned for Barry to follow her.

They arrived at a very nice suite on the third floor with a very large king sized bed.

Kara took off her jacket and tossed it onto the desk against the wall.

"Are you my boyfriend?" she asked suddenly.

Barry wasn't quite sure how to answer. Like Alex had mentioned to him in the past, a simple question could be a trap when Kara was involved. It was nearly impossible to know what was going on in her mind.

"What? Well…I would like to be but you have never said anything…we have kind of talked about it and I told you I wouldn't go away but I am not trying to claim you…"

"If I told you I met a guy and was going out with him tomorrow night, how would you feel?"

A spark of intense jealousy hit Barry immediately. He held it back, though he doubted she missed it.

"How would you feel, Barry?" Kara asked him again, stepping closer.

"I wouldn't like it." he admitted quietly.

"You wouldn't like it?" she asked curiously.

"I would hate it." he bit out. Barry wasn't sure why he felt so threatened suddenly. He knew Kara had met no one since she left the Block.

Or was she talking about Grayson?

"Because I am your girlfriend?" Kara pressed.

"I want you to be." he admitted.

Kara nodded her head and placed a hand gently on his chest.

"You aren't my boyfriend. I know that. Still, if I found out you were going on a date with another woman it would break my heart…and I would probably break a few things on her." she admitted. "I wouldn't have a right to feel that way, but I would. I never cared before, about any guy, who they did, what they did, but I care about you. My Dad thinks you love me. Do you?"

The man was surprised at her bluntness, but Kara always did surprise him.

"I…yeah. I …do. You are going to ask me why, right?"

Kara shook her head.

"I am figuring out that the whys are not always that important to know. I will always wonder why Mom and Dad took us in, knowing how much trouble it would bring them. I will always wonder why they didn't ship me off when I was young to some alien psychiatric hospital when I was a teenager. I will never understand why Alex didn't try and take me to her parents or tell someone I was there when she found me. Why she agreed to hide me. I am just glad that it happened. Some things I never stop wondering about, things about my House, Krypton, my Aunt, but others…I have been working hard at therapy, you know? I have had to learn to let somethings go, be grateful for others and stop questioning if I do or do not deserve every good thing in my life."

Kara turned around and walked to the sole chair in the room and had a seat. She leaned back and smiled, not quite meeting his eyes but not looking away either.

"Leslie told me that I may never learn to love romantically until I learn to love myself. I am not sure if I agree with her. I've done a lot of good things, Barry. I have also done a lot of very bad things, things I would change if I could, but I can't. I don't know if I will ever love who I was, but I think I can love who I can become. But you…you drive me crazy. You are the one thing in my life that has never made sense to me."

Barry laughed quietly, hoping that was a good thing and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to relax and hoping this wasn't another of Kara's attempts to push him away.

"Everyone thought I was an idiot for spending time with you when I first met you. You were looking for proof of me and I spent my life hiding who I was. I should have gotten as far away from you as possible. But I didn't. I couldn't.

I should have stopped talking to you, texting you, slowly disappeared because I knew what was coming and what I would have to give up. I couldn't do it though. Not until I heard Lex Luthor threaten to kill you."

Kara finally met his eyes and pulled out the lightning bolt necklace, rubbing it with her thumb and forefinger.

"All the stuff I saw, the things I did, the drugs I took, the alcohol I drank, you were always there. It was like you were a ghost who wouldn't leave me alone. Then there you were again, under a red mask, having gone through so much because I was too weak to stay, too weak to keep looking in on you. It hurt, so I stopped and the minute I took my eye off you, everything changed."

"We talked about this, Kara. It was my decision to not reach out to you."

Kara stood up and walked over to him, looking down on the man seated on the bed.

"Here is the thing, Barry. Despite not loving who I am all the time, I love my brother and sister, my parents, my friends, few though they be. I am also certain, as certain as I can be, that I love you. Thats why you scare me so badly. It's one of the reasons why I still can't bring myself to watch the news. But I am working to get over that fear because I need you in my life. I need my family and I need you. I want you. You seem to not mind punishment, so you must be good with it. Now I want something from you. I want it now. This isn't some attempt to push you away or change things to a physical relationship only."

Barry felt himself beginning to sweat but was unable to say anything. Kara stepped back and pulled off her top, revealing the blue bra underneath.

"I need you to make love to me. I want you too. I've never been with a guy who really loves me, who loves me. I want it to be you. Spend the afternoon making love to me and we can talk about going steady afterward. Would you agree to that?"

Barry stood up, now very close her.

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Then make love to me, Barry."


	26. Chapter 26

Do not own DC or CW characters

A/N Thank you for all the reviews last chapter. It felt really good to hear from you all. It keeps me motivated. As for the delay in my usual posting time, I have to say work has been difficult and I have been spending the last couple weekends with family, so I haven't had as much time to write. I will do better. There is also going to be a short time jump next chapter. As far as the cliffhanger from the last chapter, as some of you know from CMK I don't really write scenes like that in stories because I like to keep them somewhat clean for the T audience and feel it can even detract from the story. However, every scene is in my head, even those left out, kind of like the deleted scenes you see on Blu Rays. This scene had some things said, some things that were kind of important between the two but there was no way to write it without it going into adult territory because of the situation. Point being that I have an AO3 account under the same name and if there is enough demand for it, I will post the scene on that profile. It still won't be explicit because this isn't an erotic fiction kind of thing but can shed some light on those moments and things that were said. If there isn't a whole lot of interest those of you who are interested are going to have to use your imagination :)

 **Chapter 26 A Piece of Her Soul**

Kara woke up, disoriented and nearly panicked. She wasn't in her bed, she wasn't in her room and she was wrapped around a guy, her head on his chest and his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder.

It took a few seconds and things became clear.

Barry was holding her.

They were in a hotel room and had made love. She had sex with someone she loved.

It was all she thought it could be.

Kara felt…safe. It isn't a feeling she was used to, not in this sense. To feel relaxed in a vulnerable position was a new sensation.

"Hey there." Barry whispered, noting she was up. He hadn't been to sleep but Kara had passed out an hour ago.

"Hey…"Kara mumbled.

Then her eyes opened wide and she sat up quickly.

"What time is it?!"

"It's eight. You have only been asleep for about an hour."

The girl laid back in bed, her head on Barry's chest, relaxing. If she missed her medication time, Eliza would track her down and she would rather not be tracked down naked, laying on top of a naked Barry in a Raleigh hotel room.

"I guess my stamina isn't just limited to long distance running. So, after that, do you still want to talk about going steady?"

"Yeah. You did fall asleep on me, but it was afterward…"

"You can make your whole body vibrate. Sorry but my depowered alien body can only take so much. We don't need to talk about going steady. You are mine. I'm emotionally disturbed and you knew this going in. You have seen enough horror movies to know what happens when you try and leave an emotionally disturbed girl, right Barry?"

Barry chuckled, thinking about the few movies he had seen. It didn't matter. He had been waiting for six years to be with her and it was everything he thought it could be.

She was amazing, and he couldn't imagine who else he would possibly want.

She had him.

And he had her, finally.

"No need to worry." he told her, kissing the top of her head." I have told you over and over again, Kara, I am not going anywhere. So…you liked the vibrating body thing?"

Kara playfully slapped his chest.

"You know I did. I need to take a shower. It's going to take a bit to dry my hair but if Dad sees me with sex hair, he will know. It's like this damn radar he has, and we will both be receiving strange looks the rest of your time with me."

"Need any help?" he hoped.

Kara smiled and sat up in bed, the sheets falling off her and not shy in the least, making him desperately want to help her.

"We have a 45-minute drive. Then I have to change, take my antipsychotic and sedative and then I am out till 7 AM. If you help me, we will get distracted and never make it home on time."

"Can't you blame it on helmet head and stay in bed?"

Kara leaned down and kissed him.

"I love you, Kara." Barry told her.

"I know."

Barry lay waiting for a moment, expecting to hear the same in return. She had told him earlier that she loved him, multiple times in the last four or five hours and he wanted to hear it now but instead he just saw an evil grin.

"Did you seriously just Han Solo me?"

Kara laughed. "Leia did it to Han in Return of the Jedi. I couldn't resist. I love you too, Barry. Tomorrow morning, we are going to the Fortress. I want to show you everything. This time I won't get called out by my robot for being drunk and suicidal."

Kara rolled out of bed, not covering her body and making him want to grab her and bring her back. Today and this evening had been a dream, a dream he had since he first met her.

Groaning when he heard the shower start up, he reluctantly got dressed, taking his time. He hoped the two could get something to eat before they went back to Midvale. Kara still didn't seem to have an appetite and had not even mentioned missing lunch in favor of the hotel. Barry's metabolism was catching up with him, especially after the energy he expended.

Before they had started their liaison that morning, Kara gave him one last instruction. The man had moved at what have been close to light speed to the nearest drug store and back in less than three seconds by her count. That effort alone burned up quite a bit of calories.

While he waited for Kara to finish the shower and debated saying to hell with it and joining her, his phone rang, and a cold feeling ran through him.

It was Diana.

"Hello?"

"Barry, I need you in Metropolis tomorrow afternoon. I have a fix on Arthur Curry. We have a flight at 3:00 PM to Iceland. I will have a passport for you."

Tomorrow? 3 PM?

"I was…I'm kind of busy tomorrow, Diana."

"I realize that, Barry. You will be flying with me to Iceland to meet with Arthur Curry. That will keep you very busy. Tell your DEO training partners that training can wait. The sooner we have him, the better I will feel about facing Atrocitus when we find him. We cannot have enough power, there can be no mistakes and no loss. We need him, so we will convince him."

Barry shook his head, calculating the distance to Iceland and how much ocean he would have to run across. If he didn't get food soon, he wouldn't be able to run very far at all.

"Yeah, but…Kara wants me to…I am protecting her, you see? I have a bad feeling this Atrocitus is around and if I should probably keep her safe. She is expecting me tomorrow and I wouldn't want to let her down. She hasn't been home for long and is adjusting…"

"Did you join the FBI, Barry?" Diana asked, and he swore she must have been smiling on the other end of the phone. It was obvious she found something amusing.

"No."

"Oh, I was just curious. I thought only the FBI placed people in protective custody at hotels. Kelex said you have been protecting her all morning and afternoon. I am impressed with your dedication. If I were to move the flight to, say…11PM, would that be more amenable to your protective detail duty?"

Barry sighed and dropped his head. He didn't want to know how she knew. Kelex, tracker on his suit, Amazon magic, rope magic, with Diana it could be anything.

"Yeah, that would be great. I need to get some clothes. How many days do you…"

"Everything you need will be at the airport when you arrive. Have a fun night. Say hi to Kara for me."

Barry ended the call and nearly jumped when he realized Kara was in the room.

"Who was that?"

The Flash debated on how to answer that. Kara didn't want to know anything about that part of his life, did she? Or did she? She would eventually have to know, right?

"That was…Diana."

Kara nodded her head and took the towel off her body, using it to dry her hair and draw all of Barry's attention.

"Do you need to go? I can get home myself." she offered.

"No! Apparently, she and I are flying to Iceland tomorrow night. We aren't going to fight anyone…"

"I know you aren't. If you were going to Iceland to battle, Diana would take the entire team. She would not break ranks. Her people, from what she told me, have many similar aspects to Greek philosophy in war. Strength in numbers, brute strength, driving a stake through the middle of your enemy, Light infantry, light armor, horseback attacks and archers providing long range capabilities, like missile bombardments before ground troop movements today. I don't want to know everything, Barry. I just want you to come back to me, but you don't have to hide either. I am no amateur when it comes to war. If she is going to Iceland to recruit, then something has happened. It isn't just Bruce wanting a team. You all have an enemy to fight. It's okay."

Barry was impressed. "Sounds like saying you are no amateur in war is an understatement."

Kara shrugged her shoulders and to his great disappointment, began dressing.

"I have lived with three genius biologists for over a decade. I picked up quite a bit. I find the biology of different races fascinating. I don't have the passion for it that Alex or my parents do, though. I won't say I am a genius in math and physics, chemistry, things like that. I won't say it because genius wouldn't be fair to other so-called geniuses. I have an understanding of science drilled into me at an early age, based off information that has not even been theorized on Earth yet. There is no one on this planet that knows more about those subjects. As far as engineering, I can build a spaceship capable of traveling to other galaxies that are thousands of light years away in less than a month while remaining in physical stasis. I can build weapons more powerful than any ever created by any military on Earth. As far as everything else, I studied what I was interested in. Wars were always on my mind, as were the warriors who fought in them."

The man watched her closely now. When it came to certain subjects Kara could fall off into a bout of depression very quickly, according to Alex She seemed okay, pulling on her t shirt and putting on her boots.

"I am sure you can guess why. I have gone over every great war, the greatest armies of this planet and everyone Kelex has records of in the galaxy. If there are two things I am an expert in, they are science and war."

Kara walked over to him, wrapping her arms around the man and pulling close to him.

"But that is behind me now. Thank you for today. I do love you."

"I love you." he responded, gently kissing her but keeping his eyes open, soaking in her blue eyes before she put the glasses on and they turned a green shade that just wasn't her. He liked the glasses. The specs reminded him of when he first met her, but it was her blue eyes under the lenses that took his breath away.

"We need to go. You need food, I probably should eat something to and I want to get out of the city. I don't want to…I need to leave, we need to leave."

"Are you okay?" he asked, beginning to get worried. He hadn't noticed any of her usual nervous tells.

"Temptation, Barry. You aren't the only temptation I have, and I would rather get away from those I need to stay away from."

So, an hour and forty minutes later a slightly nervous but very happy Barry walked into the front door with Kara on his arm. Eliza was waiting for them, but Jeremiah was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Mom. Where is Dad?"

"I didn't want to Barry to have to deal with his piercing stare, so I gave him some of that herbal tea that makes him relax and feel a bit drowsy." she explained.

Kara's tense body also relaxed, and her shoulders dropped in relief.

"You drugged Dad. Thank you so much."

"Of course. Barry, I left some blankets and pillows on the couch. It's already folded out so make yourself at home. Kara…"

"Bed time." the girl agreed, already knowing what was coming. She kissed Barry gently and with a quiet goodnight, moved up the stairs.

Kara entered her bedroom after checking on a sleeping Clark. To her complete lack of surprise Alex was still up, waiting on her.

And of course, Eliza followed her, glass of water and pills in hand.

"I put your pajamas in your…"

"Mom, can I please get some different sets tomorrow? There is nothing to cut myself with in the house. I get that I am still at risk or whatever for suicide but c'mon, I have been wearing solid whites for the past two and a half months. Just a little color, please? I was used to just wearing a t shirt to bed but now that I have had nurses and Dad checking on me all hours of the night, if I am going to be fully dressed, I don't want to constantly look like I am trying to get an orange belt in karate."

Eliza smiled, admitting she had a point. She had always given Kara light colored pajamas but they at least they had some color. If her daughter needed to feel more at home, then she shouldn't dress like she was still a patient at the Block.

"Why don't we wait till Monday morning and go into town together? Just Midvale? Alex can come with us."

Kara nodded her head, expecting as much. She was okay tonight, but had never actually entered the city, staying at the hotel on the outskirts and moving past the bar in the lobby very quickly, not even looking in its direction. The last thing Kara wanted was Barry seeing her lusting after alcohol.

"So, what did you two do today?"

Kara had been moving towards the bathroom with white pajamas in hand but stopped cold at that question. She turned around and saw Eliza already knew the answer.

"I told you I wouldn't lie to you anymore. Do I really have to answer that?"

The blonde did her best to ignore her older sister's snort.

"I appreciate that, Kara. I really, really do. But if your Dad asks you what you two did in the morning, what are you going to say?"

"We went to a Star Wars marathon at the Diamond Theater downtown. I did well because I only focused on the road, making sure I traveled at the posted speed limit and then rushed into the theater where Barry and I watched movies for the next six hours. We went through a large bag of popcorn and I had nachos."

Eliza nodded her head, satisfied.

"Manage to keep your face neutral, like you just did, even a bit more bored or irritated and you will get past your father's lie detector. I hope Barry has a pretty good poker face himself."

Once Kara hand been appropriately changed and given her pills, Alex asked the question that she had wanted to ask since Kara arrived home. She knew she had ten minutes or less before her little sister was down for the count.

"So…how was he?"

Kara grinned and rolled in Alex's direction.

"He can vibrate his whole body."

"You lucky brat." Alex groused. "But how was it? I mean…"

"I love him." she admitted.

The brunette nodded her head and sighed.

"Kara, you idiot, you have always loved him. Good night, sweetie."

Barry woke the next morning on what he admitted was an incredibly comfortable fold out mattress. He felt like he could have slept forever but the finger poking his forehead would not let him. Cracking his eyes, he was surprised to see a bright-eyed Kara, smiling and dressed for the day.

"What time is it?"

"6 AM. Since you are screwing up my schedule and we have a limited amount of time today with you flying to Iceland and me having a meeting tonight, we need to get started. Get dressed. I'll get you a cup of coffee. You have ten seconds."

"Ten seconds to what?"

"To get ready. Of course, if you would rather spend time we could be spending alone, here instead, being critically cross examined by my Dad to determine if we had sex yesterday, by all means lay around."

Barry was back in eight seconds, fully dressed. He even brushed his teeth.

"I miss being able to do that." Kara sadly admitted. "Let's go."

Barry followed her to the extra bedroom at the back of the first floor. She opened the closet door.

"When?" he asked.

"Two days ago. No one has used it yet, but it works, trust me." Kara placed her familiar white piece of plastic in her ear.

"Kelex, I am coming in. I have Barry coming with me so no disintegrations."

Kara punched in a code and Barry supposed and prayed that Kelex was turning off any defensive mechanisms in the Fortress.

Once again, like Deja vu, Barry was back in the Fortress.

Kara took a deep breath and smiled.

"I haven't been here in months. The last time I was here was with you and of course we know how that turned out. I thought maybe if you wanted to know all of me, this might be a good place to start, at the beginning. What do you think?"

Barry grinned, taking it all in, what he could see anyway. It was beautiful.

"I think I want to show me everything there is to show me."

Kara took his hand and pulled him along.

"First I need to check on something. It was a personal project of mine and though Alex has control over the Fortress right now, my projects are still here. Kelex still answers to me and my family. I just don't have the capabilities to spy and build new weapons. I also can't lock anyone out. She took over to prevent me from taking over the Block and releasing all the locks, turning on the fire suppression system, blowing the security system and alarms, basically everything I would do if I wanted to leave. Oh, and in the event of an invasion, she would have control of the defensive and offensive capabilities we have set up around the world."

Barry figured this out already. He knew Alex had override capabilities, something Kara gave her. The defensive and offensive weapons placed around the world were a surprise but not something he wanted to get into right now.

The two walked hand in hand to a blank spot, nothing but a beautiful, crystal almost ice like floor that was somehow not cold.

"Kelex, has Project Sundown been completed?"

The flying robot was in front of her in seconds.

"It has been, but per Alex's instructions all weapons have been removed, including the dura blades on the suit as well as all firearms and missile capabilities. Should you take back control of the Fortress and request it, the suit will be armed again."

Kara shook her head. "I don't need it armed, Kelex. It is for worst case scenarios. Let's show Barry what Kryptonian battle suits look like."

Barry jumped back as the formerly solid floor opened and a glass case rose. A mannequin was inside the case, similar to the one he had at S.T.A.R. or did before he got a ring that could store his suit. What was inside the mannequin was not his suit or a Supergirl costume he had ever seen.

Instead he saw armor, different shades of grey over a black exosuit underneath. The suit was not like Alex's at all, bulkier though built for a female but appeared as something from the middle ages or a Lord of the Rings novel. There was even a black cloak hanging off the shoulders.

"What is this? Some sort of prototype Bat Suit for you?"

Kara laughed at the idea, Being Bruce's backup or side kick like Grayson had been for years held zero appeal to her.

"Nope, just a suit in case the worst happens, and I don't have my powers. Or, I guess you could say, like now. I can fold into a bag and I can step into the back of it very quickly. There is a helmet that can activate from the back. The arms have long blades that extended from the forearms. I have been digging back into the archives of Krypton as much as possible, trying to determine if Zod had been on the planet when it was destroyed. I am still not sure. Lobo hasn't heard anything but if anyone could keep a low profile its Zod. Most of the Kryptonian army wore black suits, the same material as my uniforms. But Zod's soldiers were the elite. This battle armor is a replica of Faora Ul's armor. She was one of his Sub Commanders, called his Tigress by many in the army. She was psychopathic and engineered to be the perfect killer. But I really liked her armor so with a few modifications, I had it built. This is just in case."

"In case of what?" Barry asked, not liking where this was going.

"In case someone like Oliver Queen ever finds out I have lost my powers and who and where I and my family are. If he does, I feel confident I can defeat him, but I want absolute certainty. In this armor I become the perfect killer. With my skill and these weapons, I can't be defeated. If he ever does find out, I will hunt him wearing this."

"Oliver would never hurt…" Barry tried to defend his friend, before Kara stopped him.

"There are very few people I completely trust on Earth. You are one of them. My family, Jessica, the men who trained us and I suspect are training you…"

Barry did his best to school his face, but Kara knew she was right. He wasn't as good at keeping secrets as she was.

"…Bruce, J'onn, Lobo and Nyssa. Those are the ones who I have absolute trust in, who I know are loyal to me above all else and will never betray me. Thats it. No one else. It isn't just Oliver Queen I have to be on guard for. I have a lot of enemies on this planet. The Joker, Lex Luthor, Bane, alien drug dealers and the list could go on forever. I can't just go after them or ignore them until they take their shots. I have to lay low. In a way, I am back where I started as a young girl, but I have a lot of dangerous weapons now and am very deadly, even drugged. Like I said, worst case scenario. Want to see me as a child? I want to show you Krypton, I want to show you everything. I want this to work and I will do my best not to screw it up. I don't talk about these things, things like Krypton, easily but I want you to know."

"Yeah, I would like that." he admitted, shaking off the thought that Kara had replicated the armor belonging to a female psychopath in the event she needed to hunt the Green Arrow and the long list of enemies who would love to find her.

She walked him past a tall column filled with screens, almost identical to Brother Eye in the Batcave. She showed him the large, beautiful spacecraft she had built, expanded from her original pod. She showed him the encased mannequins with costumes he had never seen her in before, a few he very much wanted to.

Then to his further surprise the two sat down in a very cushy couch, almost like a giant rectangular beanbag.

"Need me to up the firmness?" Kara offered. Barry wasn't surprised. At this point, nothing in the magical castle could surprise him.

"Nope, I'm good." he told her, leaning back and happy to find her leaning into him.

"What do you want to see?"

He had no idea. The man expected her to choose.

"I want to see whatever…"

"Barry, what do you want to see?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea where to start."

The girl nodded her head, expecting as much. "Clark made me a bit angry a couple days ago. How would you like to see something he is incredibly embarrassed about? I thought he was good, but he had no idea he was being videotaped. It will give you ammo the next time he talks trash. This was only last year. I was having a good day."

Barry's eyes were glued to the scene, watching Kara, Alex and Clark at their National City apartment, standing next to each other, Clark in the middle, performing Uptown Funk with his two sisters, complete with dancing. He stared transfixed thinking of all the ways he could tease the boy about this.

After it was over, it took the man a moment to compose himself.

"That was gold…though he is a pretty good dancer. Not much of a singer unfortunately but it sounded like you had that down for all three of you."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders.

"I've always loved singing. Okay, time for the serious stuff. Justin, show Barry Krypton. Show him Rao's light as it rose in the morning, the architecture of Argo and Kandor. Show him our temples, the House of El compound, my room, show him my life."

The two sat silently for a while, taking in the images. After a few minutes, Kara began narrating what they were seeing.

The alien landscape fascinated him, the huge compound Kara had spent the first half of her life in, the surreal sight of a red sun shining over a planet.

But what truly amazed him were the videos of Kara as a young girl. He had seen her in pictures at her parents' house in National City but seeing video of her speaking, playing with Clark, taking care of him and that smile. She was always smiling, and it didn't seem forced.

"I'm beginning to understand my mother a little more." Kara said. "It hurt to watch these videos, so I never spent much time on them but now, remembering how I was growing up, I am kind of glad I didn't know. Kelex said she didn't want my childhood to be burdened by the knowledge of what would happen. I suppose she had a point. It was better I didn't know. I never would have smiled like that if I had."

"You okay? We can stop." Barry offered. He may not have known Kara's moods as well as her family, but he liked to think he had learned quite a bit about her over the last few months. He had seen her before rehab, seen her during and seen her mood changes in treatment after the medication. Kara now seemed to be on a more level playing field, not to high and not too low.

He could also see that while she would never be in danger of going too high, her family's concerns that she could slide down into another low was there. Perhaps this was too much.

"Maybe for today. You can always come back. You need to get used to this place, learn all the secrets, learn how everything operates, just in case the worst happens. Alex can show you the defenses, the teleporters, the passwords and intricacies of Justin. You will have access and since you have your own place now, I can have a teleporter installed in your apartment. J'onn can do it. This place is yours now. There is a chain of command, a fall back plan if the worst happens. You are going to need to know it."

"Why?"

Kara smiled.

"Because I love you. A part of you has to be wondering if yesterday was about me wanting to control this thing we have or keep you at a distance. This Fortress is a part of me, a piece of my soul. Alex has primary command for now and then I am next in line, despite being heavily medicated. After that, our parents take control if we go down. You are now fourth in line. You are above J'onn, Dante, Connolly, Bruce, everyone else. If my family, if something happens to us, this place is yours. I'm giving you a piece of my soul, Barry. I don't do that lightly."

The man was shocked for a moment, not quite sure what to say. He hadn't expected that.

"You will be able to use the teleporter in your apartment to enter the Fortress. All the teleporters begin and end here. But once you arrive you can use that one we came in to enter our house in Midvale. You shouldn't have to run all the time. Rann technology, gotta love it. Their food is horrible, and winters are miserable, but they do know how to travel in style. Come with me. You have time to learn this place's secrets whenever you want but right now, there is one big secret you need to know and one thing you must swear to me."

Barry followed her behind the monitor to a crystal slab, waist high.

"Kelex, show us Drox."

The life size green menacing figure of Brainiac appeared.

"You know who he is. I have no doubt you have been given intel packets by my DEO friends if you are being trained by them, right?"

"Brainiac." Barry agreed.

"I told Clark some secrets about our past, his past and his parents. Secrets no one besides my parents and Clark know. Actually, one big secret that must be kept hidden."

"About what his parents put inside him?" Barry guessed. Kara let her surprise momentarily show, then schooled her features.

"He told you?"

"Not much." Barry admitted. "He was upset and…he mentioned it. I really didn't understand it."

The blonde suspected as much. She doubted Clark had a good idea what the Codex really was or much about it at all.

"Then I should tell you about the Codex." Kara decided. "Clark has no idea how powerful what he has inside him is. Not really."

Barry stood, looking at the form of Vril Drox and listening to Kara recount how Jor El basically wanted to use Clark to start a new Kryptonian race, probably to take over the planet. The more he heard, the angrier he became for the boy.

"Brainiac goes to worlds, steals their knowledge, their data, anything he can get his hands on." She explained. "He feeds it all into his databank, he can even shrink cities using technology I believe is similar to our Kryptonian crystals."

"He can shrink cities?!" Barry asked, shocked and not imagining how that was possible. That certainly wasn't in the briefing material. He knew the Coluan destroyed cities and planets, but nothing was said about shrinking.

Kara nodded and cut the feed, Brainiac disappearing.

"Those are the stories I have heard, and Lobo has as well. Supposedly he takes them as souvenirs, freezes them in place and bottles them in some trophy room. Of course, cities cannot survive without power, water, and humans could not survive, but their bodies are frozen and preserved. His ship is huge and when he targets a city, he can destroy it or preserve it. There is a reason so much of the universe is frightened of him. No one knows where he is. He lives on his ship, not his home world. He is only bent on gaining knowledge and collecting his trophies. Earth has no knowledge that he could possibly want."

Barry felt relieved for a second but then realized there was a very big but coming.

"If he shows up here he will have figured out that the Codex survived and want it." he guessed.

"Exactly. No one knows, no one can know. I realize you have seen the plans Alex and I have made to combat him along with the DEO and J'onn if he arrives. I guarantee you though, he will try and bargain, hold the Earth hostage in exchange for the Codex rather than risk destroying it accidentally. Only the four of us and now you, know he is the Codex. If you see Brainiac and we are dead, you take Clark, you get in that ship and wait. When Kelex gives the all clear and Brainiac is orbiting the other side of the planet, you leave. Don't look back. Clark is the closest I will ever get to having my own child. Swear to me Barry. Clark always comes first, even before the world."

The Flash wondered if that could really happen. Would the Earth give up a boy to Brainiac? Would Batman, if it meant saving the world?

No, Barry didn't believe Batman would do that. He would fight for the world before giving up anyone, Clark or anyone else. Yet Kara was trusting him and not Bruce.

"I swear. It won't come to that though. Nothing is going to happen to you or your family. I will make sure of it, Kara. You won't ever have to put on a Kryptonian Bat suit to protect any of you."

Kara grinned, appreciating the levity but also knowing he meant it. If the worst happened she could trust him to get Clark away from Earth.

"Barry, I know it won't be easy for you. You are going to want to help save the world, but I trust you. I know you won't let me down. If you see a skull shaped ship orbit this planet and I can't do it, get Clark and my family away from here. Don't go after Brainiac. He might well destroy the Earth, but it isn't only Clark's life at stake. If Brainiac has the Codex, he could give life to a new race of Kryptonians, thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, all genetically modified to follow his bidding. That is why he would want the Codex so badly, not just for information or a trophy but for pure power. With that army, any galaxy under a yellow sun is doomed. They will all belong to him. I don't think he knows it still exists but if he ever finds out, nothing will stop him from trying to take it."

The man shivered, thinking of an army of thousands of Kryptonians, as powerful as Kara and under the thrall of a galactic madman. Would there be enough Kryptonite to stop them all?

Of course not.

The two left the Fortress hand in hand and entered Midvale once again. Unlike the last time Barry met her parents at a house, the underlying tension that was there before was gone. Not being used to stop an intervention probably had something to do with his more relaxed acceptance. Jeremiah seemed so happy that Kara was smiling, the man didn't even try and grill Barry on the day's previous activities.

An hour before Barry had to leave and Kara had to prepare for her group tonight where she would be accompanied by Alex and Alfred, the blonde did something she had not done since arriving.

She picked up the remote and turned the TV on, then went straight to the Metropolis 24-hour News station.

The entire room seemed to hold its breath.

The lead story was about the rise in oil prices due to rising tensions in the Middle Eastern states.

The lead story was interrupted minutes into the broadcast by news of an Earthquake that had happened minutes earlier in Papua, New Guinea, estimated to be a 6.1 to 6.5.

The damage was significant, it was too early to determine a number of casualties, but the reporter ended his interrupted coverage with a question the world was still asking after three weeks.

Where was Supergirl?

Kara clicked the TV off and walked out without a word.

Barry watched Alex follow her into the kitchen as he, Clark and the parents sat in an awkward silence.

"Probably wasn't the best time for her to turn on the news, I guess." he finally offered.

Jeremiah shook his head.

"It had to happen. This team Bruce wants, they can do a lot of good, you can…but no one can do what Kara did when it came to saving people in natural disasters. No one can be anywhere in minutes, saving people the way she can…could. But that's okay. It isn't on her. The sooner she understands that, the better she will be."

"I can do it. I can do what she did." Clark whispered.

Eliza placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him close.

"Maybe one day my sweet boy, but no time soon. The world moved along before Supergirl and it can wait a while for Superboy…"

"Man!" the boy corrected quickly.

"Sorry, Superman."

In the kitchen, Alex found Kara staring out the window over the sink, leaning on the edge of the counter.

"Hey." she offered, knowing that asking her how she felt was a waste of time.

Kara turned to her and smiled.

"We always knew it would end one day, one way or another. We've saved thousands, saved every human life on this planet, fought every threat. We did good, right Alex? Tell me it was worth it."

The older sister took the younger in her arms and held her tightly. Kara did not cry, but grabbed her close as well, never learning to take for granted her ability to hug as hard as she wanted.

"Yeah, we did good. It was worth it. Not anymore though. You have done enough. Its time for you to rest."

Alex felt her sister's head nod even pressed against her shoulder.

"I know. I feel like a quitter."

"No sweetie. You are a survivor and a fightger. You always have been. We both have been. All fights have to end though. Now it's time for us to take care of ourselves. There are other heroes in this world, most of whom don't wear any costumes. Let them do their jobs. We take care of each other now. Thats all that matters, right?"

Kara pulled back and smiled, keeping Alex's hands in hers.

"Right. I wish I could be there, but I can't. Not anymore. I need to eat and feed Barry before he flies off with an Amazon Goddess to a foreign land. It's a good thing I am not the jealous sort. Then we should get ready. You still want to come with me tonight?"

Alex squeezed her hands.

"Try and stop me. I doubt you can anymore." she challenged.

"Keep talking trash and we might have to break that no sparring rule." Kara countered and walked back into the living room, leaving Alex alone and relieved.

She mentally checked off her list. No tears, no signs of depression or emotional outbursts, no shaking, her eyes were not moving all over the place, the way they often did when Kara wanted to escape somewhere and do some type of damage to herself.

She seemed level, if a little…dulled. The rough edges that always seemed to surround her, the raw nerves that could be touched easily, seemed to have healed a bit. Perhaps they were close. The medication doses were still being adjusted slightly. It was a fine line to walk when trying to keep someone on a stable, consistent emotional level while also not turning them into a zombie with no emotions.

Alex knew or could have easily guessed what Kara had planned the night before, even if she hadn't been tracking her by satellite. Her sister loved Barry Allen and Alex loved the idea that Kara may be opening herself up and realizing she didn't have to live life without love. No matter what happened it was good. If she could stay out of toxic relationships, that would be an advantage they had. As close as Alex and Dick Grayson were, she knew he was bad for Kara but could never convince either of them. Now Barry was here and while Kara may have had a million things going on, she could see her mother and father's points that Barry could be good for her, even in her shaky emotional state.

Like most things since she was 14, Alex would hope for the best but always keep the worst in the back of her mind.

After an early dinner, Kara and Barry were left alone outside as the sun was beginning to set.

"So, thanks…for coming to see me. For everything." the blonde told him.

"Thanks for letting me. Thanks for letting me in." he responded.

Kara looked at the ground with a shy smile.

"It isn't easy, but if there is anybody I want to do this with, it's you. Just…I know you are going to be busy, training, working with Wally, your team, Bruce's team, just be careful. Promise me you will wear the suit I had made for you. Keep your ring on you, always. Come back to me when you can. Thats all I can ask of you."

"I'll be back in a few days, as soon as I get back from Iceland and check on Central City." He assured her. "I have to be in National City for some test runs, I'm hoping to be able to make my molecules become denser, stronger, the reverse of what I do when I am phasing. Hawk is probably going to break my neck for missing so many weight lifting sessions…but you come first. Always Kara."

Kara kissed him gently.

"See ya soon, Flash. Go save the world. I love you."

"I love you." he told her and turned away, before he would be unable to leave. Raising his fist, he was in his suit in less than a second, running towards Metropolis. Ten minutes later he was still trying to digest all that had happened in 24 hours.

He had learned a lot, learned a lot about the Fortress, Kara's childhood, Brainiac, the Codex, Clark and swore an oath that put a little boy's safety over that of the world.

But his mind kept going back to their first time, underneath him, telling him she loved him.

It was that thought that kept the smile on his face all the way to Metropolis and the airport where Kelex guided him to a private hangar, no doubt where Bruce Wayne's jet was kept. One of them at least.

When he reached the private hangar, he found Diana…dressed in her armor. She wasn't alone. John Stewart, suited in green and black, ring glowing brighter than Barry had ever seen before.

"Diana?"

"I asked John to accompany us, so we could get to know him better. There is a slight delay however. Brother Eye has found a Red Lantern, outside of the airport, four blocks away, no doubt waiting to follow us in the air. The Lantern matches the description of a human who has been making inquiries on behalf of Atrocitus. I believe it is time we introduced ourselves."

Barry looked at John Stewart, trying to read his eyes. So far, everything he had learned about the Lanterns gave him a low opinion of them. Did he really trust him in a fight?

"I trust him Barry." Diana assured the man, as if reading his mind. "I have my reasons that I will explain to you on the flight, but we can rely on him."

Barry nodded his head. He joined a team that she led. If she trusted Stewart, so would Barry, until he was given a reason not to.

"What's the plan?" the Flash asked.

"Kelex will upload a map onto your HUD." Diana told him. "This Red will have to concentrate to use his ring, the same as the Greens. We do to him, what we did to them. Attack fast, beat him until he is unconscious. J'onn will arrive in about twelve minutes to prevent him from using his ring against us when he wakes and I will have the answers we want. Go to him. We will be right behind you."

Barry's eye holes were covered by two lenses and the map appeared. He could be there in seconds, but it would take them a minute or more, depending on how fast they moved.

"What do you want me to do when I reach him? Wait or attack?"

Diana grinned.

"What do you want to do, Barry?"

"I want to attack." the man told her.

"Then have no mercy. Just remember, we need him alive, for now."


	27. Chapter 27

**Do not own DC or CW characters.**

 **A/N I apologize for the delay, but this chapter got away from me. I wanted a lot more Kara Barry time, but those damn Red Lanterns are pesky. Also, the brief time jumps I expected didn't happen, but they will in the next few chapters. By short I mean a few weeks or a month at most. The next few chapters will focus heavily on Barry and Kara, so while some might consider them filler chapters in terms of action and such I don't. To me the personal relationships are the heart of the story and go a long way towards determining how it plays out. For instance, in the first 14 chapters of Survivors, I think that pretty much laid the foundation for the story and Alex and Kara's intense relationship and everything kind of built from there. To do that with any pairing like this, there must be that strong base. Therefore, chapters telling those stories are the foundation. You can't have a romance or anything real that is only focused on action, right?**

 **Chapter 27 No Second Chances.**

The Red Lantern once known as John Moore, Oxford English student, stood alone in the dark, blending in on the sidewalk and drawing no notice from the few citizens who drove by quickly. This area was away from the main roads leading to the airport and as such was one of the places Metropolis citizens did not linger or even slow, if they were forced to travel the dimly lit street.

His mission had changed a few moments ago. Atrocitus had sent him to spy on the woman who raided an alien drug and weapons facility along with the Green Martian, the Flash and Batman.

In addition, three of those so-called heroes were breaking bones at alien gatherings, hide outs and even sanctuaries, all after information about Atrocitus and his location.

Lobo asking questions was one thing. Somehow the bounty hunter found about the Red Ring on Earth and wanted it for himself or suspected his best friend, Kara Zor El would be a target of it.

Now others were involved, including a female metahuman not known by humans but was rumored to be a strong wrecking ball who sliced through and broke other aliens in multitudes.

It was simple. Follow her, see who she associated with, where she was getting her information, and find out how they knew about Atrocitus.

The how became evident when he took a closer look at the private terminal from a distance and saw John Stewart with the brunette.

Greens were not supposed to associate with heroes of Earth. Humans should not know about them nor should most aliens who have never had run ins with the Corp.

Everyone knew and feared Kara Zor El and Lobo. Not many knew about the Lanterns because the Guardians preferred it that way and Greens always followed orders. Most of the Corps did. Only the Reds were wildcards.

So why was Stewart breaking ranks and no doubt giving out information on the various Corps voluntarily?

Informing Atrocitus through the ring of this development, his mission changed from follow to kill. Wait for the jet to take flight, blow it up in the sky along with the woman and finish off Stewart who would be stunned, perhaps even injured.

So, the man waited for the jet to take flight. He had reached the ground again and was not aware of a trail of lightning that entered the hangar.

Perhaps that was why he was so surprised when he was struck, sending him into the wall behind him.

Igniting his ring immediately and letting the power flow through him, prepared to destroy who had touched him, Rankorr was shocked to see neither Stewart or the new woman but the blurred image of the hero he recognized as Central City's Flash. He had been in Gotham at the weapons facility take down but not seen with the group hunting Atrocitus since then. Apparently, he was involved in more than the occasional alien raid.

Expecting the man to say something, he waited a few moments, taking in the blurry figure and wondering if he was even solid.

Rankorr struck, sending a blast of red light ruled by rage, into and through the man.

The Flash was gone.

A tap on his shoulder caused him to turn, the fist hitting him so quickly he never saw it.

Standing up and placing a shield around him, the Lantern tried to keep track of the Flash. To strike he needed the shield down but the man hit like a sledgehammer, one moving at three or four hundred miles an hour. He knew his jaw was smashed and was already swallowing blood.

He also felt his temper rising.

"Where did you go?! Come back and face me!"

Rankorr's red energy shield may have protected his bones but it did not protect him from the force of the blow that took him down.

Sitting up in the street, he took in the very frightening visage of a blurring Flash, lightning dancing around his form. Believing his shield could not hold up to many blows delivered with that force, he dropped it and used his ring to fire a wide pattern,

Barry for his part was concentrating. He had worked for over a month and a half with a DEO team that had trained Alex and Kara and was relying on that training now. Stay moving, don't talk, stay vibrating and be merciless.

The Flash saw the man in very slow motion considering the speed he himself was moving. He saw the ring and had plenty of time to react. As the information, given by Jordan and Gardener proved, the shields were not as strong as Kara's skin had been, they could be hurt behind them and they had to drop the shield to use the ring for the most part. A Green may be able to concentrate in a fight enough to use the Ring as a weapon and a guard but the angrier the Red became the less he thought and concentrated.

Standing behind Rankorr, Barry watched the wide range of his attack with interest. It struck the wall, spreading out at least six feet. The man himself would have been terrifying to a person not used to metahumans. His eyes were glowing a deep red and his hair seemed to be on fire.

Deciding not to give him an opportunity to use the weapon again and cause wide spread destruction to public property, Barry wrapped him up from behind and began vibrating once again, forcing Rankorr to do the same.

Only Barry pushed the man down and let go.

Rankorr stared at the pavement and then screamed as soon as the pain hit him. His lower legs had been phased into the street below, up to his knees and the Lantern could not move. His legs were mixed with pavement, gravel, concrete, all part of his body now. Barry struck the back of his head, knocking him out and bending him backwards so he fell face looking up, knees bent and lower legs one with the asphalt.

Diana and Stewart walked to the scene in no hurry. Diana had a pleased smile on her face and Stewart looked disturbed.

"He's alive." Barry pointed out to his team leader.

"John, if you would please use your ring to cut him loose?"

Stewart glanced at her then the Flash. He expected the kid to take a few shots but hold off Rankorr till they arrived. It was a surprise when Diana told him they could take their time.

"I want to see what he is willing to do for her, how far he is willing to go," she explained. Stewart didn't ask who she was.

The Lanterns had heard the rumors, knew Kara Zor El threatened the White Martians with extinction and was feared by aliens everywhere, but they had all assumed it was because of her power and fervent desire to do justice. She had never attacked an innocent human or alien.

But after Batman, well known to be one of her best friends, became interested in the Red Ring, they were beginning to suspect that the ring had a target and that target was currently missing.

No, not missing. The woman, Batman and J'onn Jonzz knew exactly where she was and so did Barry Allen.

"There is no need for me to cut him out of the pavement. The energy that runs through his veins is like acid. No doubt, the bottoms of his legs will be free shortly and the energy that replaces his ruined blood will close off any bleed outs. Reds are hard to kill. No other Corp is harder."

Diana nodded, satisfied and watched as Stewart's words came true, the man's lower legs burning from his knees. Diana picked him up by his collar and dragged him away, bright red lit fluid and a trail of burnt asphalt from the remains of his legs, trailing him and leaving scorch marks on the pavement.

Walking around a corner, Barry used his hand to cut a lock on a closed down barber shop and Diana stepped inside, unceremoniously tossing the still unconscious Red Lantern into the first chair they approached. Wrapping her lasso around him and the chair, the three waited.

Twenty minutes later, J'onn arrived. Ten minutes after that, Batman walked in.

The five stood and stared at the man, until Bruce became impatient and struck a small device to the side of his head and sent an electrical shock through him, awakening him immediately.

Rankorr shook his head, trying to clear it, then screamed when the pain hit him hard. He glanced down and could tell his lower legs were gone, the red poisoned blood clotting, keeping him alive as the ring always did. Deciding to attack, the man tried to fire a blast of pure light energy but was unable.

He was caught, wrapped in a golden lasso and being mentally attacked by a Green Martian. It took him a moment to make out the figures in the dark, but he saw the woman, that damn John Stewart, the black mask of Batman and the Flash.

"I'll kill you." he hissed towards Barry.

Barry shook his head. "You aren't fast enough to kill me, Moore. That is your real name, right? According to Stewart you are no more than Atrocitus's lapdog. Fortunately for you, I need a lap dog right now. You are going to tell us everything we want to know. You can try and fight my friend's lasso, or J'onn Jonzz can take the information out of your head. Either way it's going to hurt, worse than your legs being crushed in pavement. Where is Atrocitus?"

Rankorr shook his head and clenched his jaw, feeling the rope holding him beginning to burn.

Despite his resistance, he began talking.

"I don't know where he is right now! He could be anywhere. He is on Earth but that is all I know. He talks to me through the ring!"

"Where is the red ring on Earth?"

"I don't know! It could be anywhere! It's probably where Atrocitus is when he is on Earth. There is only… "

Rankorr hesitated, realizing he was answering more than he was asked and tried to stop speaking. The pain in his head worsened and the rope was beginning to burn. Those pains, mixed with the phantom pains where his legs used to be, were becoming overwhelming.

"There is only what?!" Barry yelled.

"There is only one place that could mask its energy, his and the ring."

"Pyramids." Stewart said, realizing why the Lanterns, both Green and Red had been having difficulty tracking the energy.

"Which pyramid?' Barry asked. He knew there were thousands of discovered pyramids on Earth and many more that weren't discovered to this day.

"I don't know, I swear." the man told him, practically begging now.

"Where did you last see him?" Barry asked, inches from the Lanterns face.

"I don't…ahhhh! I saw him in South America! Brazil! He must be hiding around one of those pyramids, but he could have left. He tells me where to meet him and I go. Metropolis, Brazil, Egypt. He could be anywhere!"

"I'm right here." a new voice said from the door.

Batman reacted immediately, turning and tossing an explosive towards the man. It never touched him, blowing up at a touch of the red energy surrounding him.

John fired from his ring, Atrocitus blocking it with ease. A large blast fanned from his ring, knocking them all down.

Before Barry could recover from the surprise and shock of the blast, a red spear was unleashed from the ring into Rankorr's head, killing the man instantly, his red ring flying into Atrocitus's left hand. Barry swung, hoping with enough force he could send the monster out of the room. Instead he was blasted back into the far wall. Batman was knocked away and J'onn Jonzz and Diana attacked, finally knocking the monster onto the street, striking him at the same time.

A fight ensued between the Martian, Amazon and Red Lantern. Despite the power of the two's punches, neither was able to break his shield as he continued to send out constructs of hard light, slapping the two around. Barry moved, deciding to get behind him and attempt to phase a hand though Atrocitus's chest.

Unlike Rankorr, Atrocitus's energy felt like a brick wall and once again, the shock took him down. Atrocitus deflected a blade from Bruce with ease that had been heading towards his eye.

John Stewart, having recovered, blasted his green energy against the Red, emitting such power that everyone else backed off as the two fought to a standoff.

John Stewart was a powerful Green Lantern, his will power among the strongest in the Corp.

Atrocitus' rage powering the ring was greater and Stewart began to slide back until Diana order him to stop and jumped in front of the red light, her forearms absorbing the energy to Atrocitus's obvious surprise. She slammed her gauntlets together when he stopped attacking and sent the energy of the red ring back at him, knocking him down onto his back.

Barry wasted no time, jumping on top of the man and trying to phase a hand directly into his skull. The Flash screamed from the effort, his vibrations against the shield that would not go away actually hurting him, even when the man was down.

"Barry move!"

The man hesitated at Diana's command but did so regardless, deciding he would not win that battle right now. Jumping back, the Red Lantern regained his feet immediately.

Atrocitus was not expecting what had happened next. All he knew was his shield had been pierced as well as his abdomen. Diana's sword had run him through.

The man jerked back in shock, pulling the sword out of him.

"You are one of the old gods." he whispered and raised his ring into the air, a large blast going in all directions. The heroes were blown back to the ground.

When they sat up, Atrocitus was gone.

Stewart moved, guessing the monster had flown into the sky and made to follow until J'onn's hand held him up.

"We can't all help you there and it is going to take all of us. He could have teleported by now. He is injured, perhaps dying. We need to regroup and talk about how to find this ring. We know more than we did. There is no need to be reckless now." the Martian pointed out.

Diana screamed in anger and threw her sword across the street in frustration. It stuck in the brick wall it hit.

The woman took several deep breaths and turned back to the team, her face as serene as it usually was. You would never guess she stabbed a monster in the abdomen and tossed a sword into a brick wall in frustration.

"This is why I want Curry. He is obviously part Atlantean. If he can walk on land he is half Atlantean, half human. The Atlanteans have a trident, a very special trident. If my sword can cut through that monster's red shield, that weapon can as well. We should have asked Rankorr what his plan for angering Kara…it doesn't matter now."

Stewart caught that, his worst fears confirmed.

"So Supergirl is the target of the ring you think?"

Barry was in the man's face in an instant.

"I was close. I had the energy figured out and I was close to being able to phase through it. You say a word to your other ring buddies about this and I will end you."

Stewart nor the other team members quite knew what to say. Out of all of them, Barry seemed the most laid back, the calmest outside of Diana. Right now, he had lost his cool and looked like a different person. His eyes that were not hidden by the mask were hard.

"I won't say a word. I swear." Stewart told him. "It isn't because I am scared of you either. Look, I have never liked what the Guardians had us doing, basically nothing. I never agreed with it. I want to help and if defying them is what I have to do then so be it. I'm not sitting on the sidelines anymore, but if you want me on this team, then I need to know everything because right now I feel like I don't know a quarter of the story."

"You know what you need to know." Batman told him. "You want to be trusted, prove yourself first. Why couldn't your ring overpower his?"

Stewart shook his head, realizing he was not going to win this argument tonight. He meant every word he said and while he understood that time was needed for trust, judging by Atrocitus's appearance and the dead body inside the building, Stewart felt they were running out of time.

"He is the original Red Lantern. No one Lantern can overpower him, not any color. Guy had to recruit the entire Red Lantern Corp to defeat him and still couldn't kill him. That monster is powered by rage and no one has as much rage as he does in the entire damn universe. If your sword can kill him." he looked at Diana, "you are the best chance we got. I don't care how many weapons you have Batman. I don't care how strong you are J'onn. Barry even if you could phase through his shield, his heart is on his finger. Those rings take over the heart, pump energy instead of blood. You couldn't kill him that way. You won't cut off his finger. The ring won't allow it. Diana, you are going to have to behead him while the rest of us hold him down, keep him distracted."

Diana shook her head. "Which is why I need Curry. If Kara had the ring, worst case scenario, how strong would she be?"

Stewart closed his eyes and tried to fight back a shiver.

"How much rage does she have?" he asked quietly. "In her heart, how much anger does she truly have?"

No one answered, instead the four looking among themselves, not knowing what to say.

"More than I do. Probably more than Atrocitus." Batman finally admitted.

Stewart nodded his head. "Then if she gets that ring we are screwed. She will be a monster, unable to think, lashing out at everything and everyone. Her blood will become acid, her natural powers multiplied in strength. It would take every Lantern on this planet and more to hold her down long enough to get her to Ysmault, so she can regain some control. I wouldn't be sure if that was even possible. She would truly be a destroyer of worlds. A mindless, rage filled force of mass destruction with a key to traveling every galaxy in the universe."

Batman was thinking, going over every option in his head. He knew no matter how many medications she was on, Kara's anger would always be a part of her, just as his darkness would always be a part of him. He suspected that Atrocitus would incite…something, a plan to draw her out and place her in a position where she had no choice but to except the ring or watch innocents die.

But how would he control her? What was his end game? What good would a mindless monster do him?

"How would he control her? How would he get her to Ysmault?" Bruce asked.

"A Power Battery." Stewart realized. "There is one on Ysmault, that recharges rings. All our rings need to be recharged every decade or so. That ring would go to a power battery like metal to a magnet. If he has made another, he could use it to lure her wherever he wanted, most likely to Oa where he could set her loose on the Guardians without bothering to give her back a semblance of herself on Ysmault. She would follow him like a wild dog chasing a bone."

Diana agreed, thinking this made the most sense. "If we can't find the ring, we find that battery. Without it he would have no advantage in tempting her. We must destroy one or the other, preferably both along with him. If I can get close enough I can kill him, and he knows it."

"If he isn't already dead." J'onn reminded her.

"He isn't, but he will be." Diana assured him. "Barry when we return, I believe it is time we told Kara everything."

"No!" J'onn and Bruce objected at the same time.

"She is doing well." Bruce stressed. "The medications have cut her anxiety down tremendously. The entire family is doing well. This would only add to her problems…"

"What are her problems? Its sounds like more than anger." Stewart shouted. "I get about trust and time and all that, but John Moore's dead body is telling me that we don't have much time. His ring is gone, with Atrocitus who no doubt sent it back off into the galaxy, searching for a new host. I need the story."

Batman stepped up to him. "That ring on your finger won't work on us. You will be told what you need to know, when you need to know it. You may have not agreed with what the Guardians wanted but you followed along while she fought to save this world. I don't give a damn what you think you need. Are we going to have a problem?"

Stewart looked into the man's eyes and had no doubt he would not win a fight against him without his ring. He had seen enough over the years. Batman went toe to toe with very dangerous enemies and didn't back down. He didn't back down tonight in the face of that monster.

"No, no problem."

"Barry?" Diana asked. "You know her best."

"No, he doesn't." Batman nearly growled. "No offense, Barry but you don't know her as well as J'onn or I do. That family needs a break. Alex doesn't even know. Jeremiah and Eliza only know that there is a problem we are taking care of. They need to relax and worrying about a monster that wants to turn Kara into one, when she is getting it together finally would be counterproductive to everything she has accomplished in the last three months."

Barry was immediately annoyed. He was already angry that Atrocitus got away, angry that he couldn't get through that damn red shield and had been caught by the wide blast and now angry that Bruce had said something which had bothered him for a while. Those two did know Kara better and longer than Barry and it made him angry. He also realized that if he had gotten through the shield he would have killed the man without a second thought. Like he had told Connolly two weeks prior, he would never make the same mistake he made with Zoom again. He wouldn't lose Kara.

Still he admitted that Bruce, J'onn, Kara and Alex had a longer history together. It annoyed him, but it was the truth.

"Let's just find Atrocitus and take his head off." Barry decided, the adrenalin wearing off. "We stop him, his plan, the battery, everything goes down with him. We need to end this. Right now, she is calm, as out of the way as she can get, and it needs to stay that way. For once, let's take care of her. We have a flight to Iceland, right Diana?"

The Amazon nodded her head. Stewart was right about one thing, they were running out of time. She felt it in every part of her being.

"I think we should consider bringing the rest of the Lanterns up to date." Stewart suggested. "This is a big deal. Do any of you really understand what could be unleashed if Supergirl becomes a…"

Stewart's question was cut off when J'onn placed his hand on the Lanterns forehead. Stewart stiffened and gritted his teeth, his head feeling as if was being torn apart until he blacked out.

A few moments later he opened his eyes, realizing he was on the ground and being looked down upon by the four individuals he had arrived with. What happened?

"Where did Atrocitus go? What happened?" he asked, not remembering anything after Atrocitus arrived suddenly.

"You two got in a fight. You lost badly, and he escaped before we could take him. We have work to do, so get off the ground." The Martian told him and walked off.

Barry laughed despite his ill humor. That was certainly one way to stop a Lantern from talking.

"Barry, stay here, stay in America, on this continent." Diana told him. "Stewart will accompany me to speak to Curry. You other three need to keep searching and protecting whoever needs protection." She finished, knowing that would mean the Danvers.

"Showing up here was a bold move. You need to be near, Flash. We have no idea where he could be." the Amazon stressed to him. He understood by near she meant near Kara.

Barry felt a bit better. As frustrated as he was that he hadn't been able to take down Atrocitus and even more alarmingly that all five of them hadn't been able to take him, being on the same continent as Kara made him feel better. The man still had five weeks of "FBI Training" before he was expected back to work. Barry knew if this wasn't taken care of by then, he would be taking a leave of absence from his job to have more free time to deal with this threat.

Batman, J'onn and Stewart left, leaving Diana and Barry alone.

"Listen to me." Diana told him, making sure she had his full attention.

"Yeah?"

"I know you are frustrated. You want to kill this creature as badly as I do. I am frustrated as you can tell by my sword buried in a brick wall. Remember though, this is a war. Tonight was the first battle and he lost. We will win, but you must focus. Keep her happy, keep her safe and tell her what is going on. I know they have a longer history but you are the one she loves. She is yours to love and protect. Tell her. We will talk more when I return with Curry."

Barry wanted to laugh at her confidence. The way she spoke always seemed as if she already knew the outcome of everything.

"And if he doesn't return?"

"He will. I will beat him unit he agrees. We can trust Stewart. He is the only Lantern I sensed was disgusted with their stance of non-participation in the events of the world they were supposed to protect. Give it time and you will trust him as well. We need a Lantern and he is the only one I will accept. It will be okay, Barry. We will win."

That said, Diana patted him on the shoulder and left, jumping into the air and out of sight very quickly.

"Kelex?" Barry asked, once he was left alone. "Are you there?"

"As long as you have the suit on, I am here. I will also be informing Alex Danvers of the threat this Atrocitus poses. It is probable this man could be a direct threat to Kara. Protocol demands I inform her as first in line immediately with any information that could affect the Danvers safety, especially Kara and Clark. Would you like to have the conversation, or should I?"

Barry shook his head, wondering if there was some way that he could turn this damn robot off. Of course, he had no doubt Kara was using Kelex as her way of knowing he was okay. He was considering telling her anyway but the tin can made the decision for him.

"Your primary purpose is Kara's mental…"

"Do not tell me my primary purpose, Barry Allen. You are not my programmer. I understand what my duty is. Atrocitus is a threat to Kara. Alex will know and as long as she is in control of the Fortress, she can decide whether Kara needs to know. Shall I tell the Danvers you are on your way back to have a discussion with them?"

Barry gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, wondering if he could use a transporter in the Batcave to enter the Fortress and crush this sarcastic tin can.

"I'll be there in the morning. Let them know. When I tried to phase through that energy shield, did you get any kind of reading on it? Any idea why I couldn't?"

"I have been analyzing the radiation signatures. Krypton never had contact with any so-called Lantern, but the light is very intriguing. I will have the secrets unlocked soon."

Barry shook his head and began running for Midvale.

"I don't doubt it. Send all the information you have to Cisco. You two can work on this together. I need to know how to get through that shield. Play nice. You have never seen this energy and neither has he. Listen to him. Thats an order and I guess since I am on the chain you have to do as I say, correct?"

Barry heard nothing but silence for a few moments. He could imagine Kelex's cyclops like face frozen with a frowny emoji under it.

"You want me to work with a human in regard to unlocking the key to defeating a cosmic energy source?"

Barry grinned a bit, enjoying the almost disbelief in the robot's voice.

"Are you this condescending to Alex?" he asked curiously.

"No. One of my prime directives is self-preservation. Speaking in a condescending manner towards Alex Danvers would oppose that directive."

"Fine then." The Flash told him. "Work with Cisco and be the polite robot we both know you can be and I won't tell Alex that you ranted about how stupid humans were. By the way, weren't you the one who told Kara she couldn't catch the plane without killing anyone? I think Alex had the idea about freezing the tornado while you went on about how it wouldn't…"

"Point taken! I have sent text messages to the Danvers and they will be waiting on you. I will coordinate with Ramon."

Satisfied, Barry made the trip to Midvale and within an hour, had been greeted by Alex and Eliza Danvers at the door. A few moments later after promising to explain in the morning, he was back on the fold out couch.

At 7 AM, Kara came down in shorts and a sports bra, sunglasses perched on her head, prepared to begin her workout. To say she was surprised to see Barry sitting with her who family in the living room had her instantly alert.

None of them, even Clark, looked happy.

"Whatever it was, I didn't do it." she said immediately.

"It's nothing like that. Why don't you have a seat on the couch between Barry and Alex?" Jeremiah suggested.

A very nervous Kara did so, not like where this was going. Usually when the whole family was gathered in the living room in this house, it meant Eliza had found blood Kara had missed cleaning and not reported, or someone heard a bone snap and a whimper from the bathroom. At times it was because Kara refused to eat. It could be a number of reasons and usually Jess was here, and Clark wasn't.

Maybe this time was different.

She hoped.

"Kara," Eliza started, "we want you to be honest with us, no lies, at all, ever. We aren't going to keep any lies from you. There is a threat, not immediate and not to us directly, but Barry, Bruce and J'onn have been hunting it. Bruce didn't want you to worry about it, especially since you have retired, Barry didn't want any of us to worry about it, but he showed up last night to tell us and we can't justify keeping this from you."

Kara grimaced and didn't feel any better when Alex took her hand. It didn't escape her attention that Alex's hand was cold and shaking.

"That is the absolute worse way to start a conversation." the blonde muttered and leaned back. "Tell me everything, hold nothing back. No matter what you say, it can't be worse than what I have heard in the past."

So, Barry did, keeping an eye on her unchanging, emotionless face the entire time. He told her of the Red Ring, of Atrocitus and of the suspicion that he wanted Kara to take the ring, then finished with the fight last night.

Kara sat for a minute without speaking, taking it all in seemingly calm. Only Alex knew how worried she was, due to her hand being nearly broke in Kara's increasing grip.

"Okay," she finally told them, "I was wrong. That could be the worst thing I have ever heard. Basically, if I go into a rage, I fall to the Dark Side and become a Sith Lord who can't even think, lose myself completely, my blood turns to acid and I can never take this ring off. You think this monster wants me to accept it, so he can turn me loose on some short guys from a planet I have never heard of."

Barry nodded, impressed that she had just summed up an hour's conversation in a few sentences.

"So, I keep my cool no matter what. I have to accept the ring, he can't force it on to me. But he could threaten one of you if I don't take it." Kara realized.

"I don't think that's his play. We think he may have something bigger plan, something on a mass scale. You are right though, it is a possibility. Thats why I will be around. I was able to stop him last night, I was close and when Kelex can figure out that energy barrier I can end him."

"I need the crystal out." Kara said immediately, met by a chorus of No from the other five present, Clark being the loudest.

"Stay calm, no matter what. Let me protect you for once." Barry told her.

Kara snorted. "For once? When have I ever protected you, Barry?"

"When you left me 6 years ago. You did it to protect me." he remind her.

"And you told me I was wrong." Kara reminded him.

"You still did it with the right intentions. I can handle this if you will let me. My DEO training buddies are coming back to Midvale, at least Hawk and Ty. J'onn will probably go to work with Alex and your Dad, and I will be in Connolly's old house. We can handle whatever comes. I promise no one will touch your family, especially this monster. Just trust me, please?"

Kara did trust him. She trusted him to do the best he could. But from the sound of this monster, these damn rings, these damn Lanterns that could have been helping her or doing the job, so she wouldn't have to…

"Lanterns." she hissed. "I hope they appreciate how lucky they are that I don't have my powers."

Barry had already told her they didn't know but decided to leave it alone. He had heard that bitterness before which is exactly why he didn't want to tell her about this.

Kara stood up and walked outside abruptly, leaving the rest behind. Barry thought of going after her, but Alex was already moving.

Outside, Kara walked towards the cliff and stood over the spot she nearly killed Hank Henshaw over a decade ago. The frightening thing was she was still a little upset with herself that she hadn't been the one to do it.

Alex walked slowly to her, remembering this spot as well and doubting Kara came out here by accident.

"Wasn't exactly a vote of confidence you gave him in there." Alex mentioned quietly, keeping her arms crossed, her voice soft and staying behind Kara.

Kara turned back towards her and smiled, looking up to the sky.

"We can't get a break, can we? It's like this life is determined to keep us doing what we do until we get killed or go permanently crazy. What the hell, Alex? How do I fight this? Bruce, J'onn, Barry and Diana couldn't take this guy out? They even had one of those coward Lanterns. Some guy wants to turn me into a mindless monster because I am powerful? How does this stuff happen to me? I just want to build my house and get a job! Thats it!"

"And you will." Alex assured her. "Just give them time. If this guy makes a move, we will have back up and they can worry about it. Just stay cool, don't accept any red glowing rings and we are good."

Kara shook her head, pacing on front of Alex.

"Keep my cool?" she finally asked. "These meds help me sleep, I don't have nightmares and I actually feel like getting out of bed but how am I supposed to not worry about this? How can I forget? You expect me to keep my cool?"

"No big deal." Alex assured her calmly. "We can up the dosage of anxiety meds…"

"Is that your answer to everything? Use drugs to help me deal with things?!" Kara yelled.

"It was your answer for years! Would it kill you to take some drugs that will do you some good for once? Are you even capable of making good decisions!?" Alex yelled back, shocking both girls into silence.

The two sisters stood quietly, not looking at each other, both of their faces red.

"I'm sorry." Alex mumbled. "I shouldn't have said that."

"But you meant it, right?" Kara asked. "I have been doing everything you asked of me but if I am going to turn into a zombie then what is the point of living? I shouldn't have bothered with rehab…damn it! Do you have any idea how sluggish these drugs make me now? My reaction time sucks. My reflexes, everything, I felt better without my powers, drunk! I feel like there is lead in my veins! I feel weak and I hate it."

Alex took a deep breath, hoping a few moments might calm her and her sister. It worked she guessed since Kara stopped pacing.

"I want control back of the Fortress. It will make me feel better."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"You have to, its mine."

"I chalked up quite a few hours helping set that thing up while freezing my human ass off. Besides you gave it to me so it's mine. You don't get take backs."

Kara laughed, surprised by that.

"I always get take backs."

"You canceled take backs when you were fifteen and I haven't been able to get one since. You don't get to call them now. Look, I know about Project Sundown and first, the idea that you have recreated the battle armor of a genetically designed psychopathic soldier is alarming enough but I saw the weapons specs you want on that thing. There is no way in hell you are arming that suit. It isn't needed. Your boyfriend is a speedster superhero who went toe to finger with this monster less than ten hours ago. J'onn can handle us in Raleigh. I'll keep a weapon on me while we are at work. Mom will be here with you for a while. We will be fine. Just stay cool."

Kara dropped her shoulders, wishing she had just taken back control in the Block when Alex asked her if she wanted it. Kelex would have given it to her as soon as she was physically and mentally stable. Instead she told him it was the choice of her hard-headed sister.

"Fine. How much more can the pills be upped? Should I get a rocking chair for the front porch and a bib to catch my drool or am I heading straight for the attic?" she asked sarcastically.

"Don't be ridiculous." Alex told her. "Our attic is too packed, and the neighbors would talk if they saw you on the front porch. I'll set you up with a nice rocker on the back porch, so you can see the ocean. I'm not a monster, Kara."

Kara shook her head. "You are such a bitch." she whispered with a grin.

"I had to learn to be to deal with you…okay, maybe I always have been, but have I ever led you wrong before? Have I?"

The blonde shook her head. "I guess not. Besides that brief fascination you had with Marilyn Manson, then no I don't suppose you have. So, take stronger drugs, don't worry about giant red monsters with power rings and don't put any red glowing rings on my finger. Anything else?"

"Yeah, go give your boyfriend a vote of confidence. Also, mean it. You trust him, or you wouldn't have let him in. Trust him with this. He took on a monster and might have won, if given enough time and information. "

"He might have gotten killed." Kara countered. "If Diana hadn't stabbed that thing…"

"But she did because he is part of a team. Everybody needs partners, even you, remember Partner? He has three pretty strong partners. Give him the damn vote of confidence already."

The two young women walked back into the house, to expectant parents, an obviously irritated boyfriend and a grumpy eleven-year-old holding one of Kara's old red sun bracelet in his hand.

"Okay…" Kara started, only to find herself back outside in front of Barry.

"Please don't do that without warning me!" she shouted at Barry, once she regained her bearings.

"I want to say a few things before we have one of those famous family meetings." the man told her.

Kara grinned and kissed his mouth gently, placing her hands on his hips and letting them drop slowly down his waist. Then she made her move.

Barry stiffened and clenched his jaw, shocked by the pain but unable to move without causing more, now that Kara's hand was …on his groin.

"These things I have in my hand? I like them where they are, but if you move me one more time like that without my permission I will rip them off and keep them on my nightstand. Try vibrating out of that. As you well know, when I want to be manhandled, I will tell you loudly and it will be in private. Unless you want to lose the use of these permanently, if you want to speak to me outside you will ask, not grab and take. Do you understand, Barry?"

Barry swallowed and nodded quickly and continuously until Kara's grip lessened and finally went away.

"That was so cool. We now have our first relationship rule. Now, before you zipped me out here you wanted to say something?"

"I don't really remember now." he hissed, hoping to not let the pain show in his voice and on his face and failing miserably. "Oh, yeah…first I want to say I am sorry for moving you outside and would appreciate it if you would never grab me there again and twist, at least in an angry manner."

Kara crossed her arms and grinned.

"Don't give me a reason to and you won't have to worry about it. You wanted to ask me why I don't trust you to take care of this problem, right?"

The Flash nodded his head hesitantly. "I just wanted you to know so you could be on guard and I tell you I will keep you safe and the first thing you want to do is take the crystal out. You don't trust me to take care of you and your family, do you?"

"Yeah, I trust you. I know you would kill for me and them. I wouldn't have given you access to the Fortress if I didn't so don't question me on that. My concern is that you have gotten yourself into something because of me that now requires you to phase people's legs into asphalt. You beat the guy and wanted to permanently harm him so you disabled him until he could tell you everything you wanted to know. Afterward, if Atrocitus hadn't shown up, what do you think would have happened to that guy? You think he would have gone to Lantern jail or a Lantern hospital? Somebody would have had to kill him. If you had been alone, it would have been you."

"I'm prepared for that." Barry told her defiantly.

"Thats the problem. You phased his legs into the pavement and let him solidify. Do you know who would have done something like that? Who has burned legs off at the knees, you had tortured and then killed once the information has been gained? Do you? Me. Thats what I would have done. That isn't you. It was never supposed to be. You are a hero, Barry. They are pushing you to be what they want. Diana wants you to harden, and so do my DEO friends. They want you to replace me because you are powerful."

"Now wait…" Barry started before Kara's hand clasped over his mouth, muffling his voice.

"I know you can beat this Atrocitus. I know how powerful you can become; how powerful you are. You haven't gotten close to your limit. But there is a price to be paid. I paid it. I'm still paying it. Everyone who loves me, including you, is paying it. You can become powerful, you can work, study, practice, unlock abilities probably only Bruce has thought about. But to beat someone like this Atrocitus, you are going to have to go to a very dark place. It's a place I am trying very hard to climb out of. The irony is, beating this guy is almost impossible without becoming like him in a way. It's the way all these guys work."

Barry turned away from her, not wanting to see her eyes when he asked the next question.

"It's because of Zoom, right? I didn't have it in me to kill him. I let him beat me, take my loved ones, kill my father. You are wondering how I can protect your family if I couldn't protect my own."

"Barry." Kara whispered, walking up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "That has nothing to do with anything. I don't think…"

"Yes, you do." he told her, turning into her arms. "I saw it that day in S.T.A.R. when you realized I was the Flash. When I told you everything that had gone down I saw it. You pitied me. You don't think I am as strong as you were, that I wasn't ready, and you were right, but that was then."

Kara rubbed his cheek softly and looked into his eyes, surprised to see they were shimmering.

"I didn't pity you. I wish I could have helped you, but I would never pity you. You seem to be mistaking what I was, as being strong. You can help the world by being you. It's just…when you get involved with entities like this, the big bads as Alex and I used to call them, Brainiacs, Mongels, Zods or … to beat something like that, there is only one option. Prison isn't an option. Ty told me once that every time he fired a bullet he felt he killed a small piece of his soul, no matter how much the target deserved it. He was right. I just don't want to see you turn from the guy I love into who I used to be. I guess who I still am, considering if I had my powers I would hunt this creature down the moment I learned of him and slaughter him."

The man kissed her gently and took her hand, gently guiding her towards the cliff.

"I don't want to kill but I won't lose, Kara. You can understand that, right? You know what's it like to hold on to what you have so tightly you would do anything to keep it. Thats the way I feel about you. I know my lines and I won't let them blur, but I need to know you believe in me."

Kara took a deep breath and thought before she spoke. A large part of her wanted to handle this on her own. She knew how to get the crystal out of her and she didn't need a Fortress or technology to do it.

The girl also knew what would happen if she did. Her medication that had been building in her system for months, the medication that helped her not feel so hopeless and lost all the time, would be burned out of her system. Her sedatives wouldn't work, and she would stop sleeping, she would be back to square one in therapy, she couldn't keep going to meetings. Those kinds of things fell by the wayside when hunting intergalactic monsters.

Her rage would be much harder to control. It was always there but muted, the anxiety and constant fear that triggered and fed it, being controlled.

And Barry would never have confidence in himself.

"You have to make an oath, Barry. An unbreakable oath."

Barry did not like the tone of her voice. She was not joking.

"Okay."

Kara took his hand and looked at him with a smile.

"You swear to me, on our love, that if the worst ever happens, if I ever die or have to be taken down because of whatever reason, you swear to me right now that you will never go back to change history. What is meant to be is meant to be. If my family is killed I will be killed with them. No matter what, you are never to go back in time to save my life."

Barry shook his head wishing of all the things she could have asked for, it wouldn't be that one. He had nearly gone back to save his mother twice, his father once. He had fought the urge but Kara too?

"Do you really think I want to continue living as a mindless rage monster if it happens? I wouldn't even know who I was. I would be nothing more than I have ever thought of myself, the perfect killing machine. If it happens Barry, you have to help take me down. But no matter what, you swear to me that you will never travel back in time to save my life. Thats not the life I want."

"Kara…but what…"

"Never!" she told him sharply. "Never. If I am going to stay without my powers that means I am going to live a human life and a human death. If you can't make that oath to me then this can't go any further. I love you, but I won't have history being rewritten repeatedly, just to keep me alive. Swear to me, Barry."

The Flash slowly nodded his head.

"I swear to you, Kara. I swear I will never change time to save you."

"Thank you." she told him gratefully. "Now since it looks like you are going to be staying for a while, let's go have lunch. I'm not going to worry, or have crystals cut out of my body or anything else. I am trusting you to keep us safe. I know you can."

"You trust me?" he asked to be certain.

Kara kissed him and nodded.

They walked back in, hand in hand, both very conflicted. Conflictions didn't matter though. They had their paths. Kara had chosen hers, to live her life and let Barry handle the rest and Barry had sworn an oath to his path. Protect her at all costs or lose her forever.

Like with his mother and father, there would be no second chances.


	28. Chapter 28

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **A/N Here we have a brief time jump. Most of the next few chapters will be about Kara and Barry, not much action going on. This story and Survivors despite action has always been about personal relationships and the development of these characters for good and bad. Barry has been introduced to almost every aspect of Kara's life. Now it's her turn. Somewhere between 30 and 35, things are going to heat up quick. This story will probably be about 50 chapters like Survivors and the final part of the trilogy will begin. For those wondering about the delay, I assure you it isn't writers block but a combination of computer issues, changing laptops and minor health issues that make it hard to look at a screen for extended periods of time. Updates should be faster now that most of the problems have been worked out. Thank you for the support and kind comments. I write for the story and hope readers along for the ride enjoy it, but kind reviews always help brighten my day and make writing much more fun.**

 **Chapter 28 Central City**

Eliza sat on the incredibly comfortable white couch and stared at the column in front of her. She had been here for two hours, taking a break from her research at home and slipping into the Fortress as she often did.

It had been sixty days since they had been home. Nearly two months since they found out about the monster that wanted to turn Kara into one.

The one she hoped was dead from the wound the Amazon gave him.

Life had somewhat settled down. Kara's anti-anxiety meds were upped but not enough to cause any additional side effects or problems. She seemed relaxed and slept well at night and tweaked the plans for her future homestead during the day. Her daughter was beginning to realize that building her own house without superpowers was not as easy as she hoped but it did not diminish her attitude. The girl came to a sort of peace with this and began parting out what contractors would do what and what she could do herself.

Eliza guessed her illicit sell of the motorbike went through. She didn't ask, and Kara didn't offer. The woman was doing her best to pretend she didn't know Alex was sneaking out with the former head of the League of Assassins and Kara's best friend and wanted to know nothing about any black-market deals Kara may have worked out.

Alex had started work at UNC Raleigh with Jeremiah in the genetics department and Barry spent the day at Dante's old house, training with Ty and Hawk, fighting and lifting, downing massive amounts of protein shakes and lifting more. He was now part of an exchange program with the FBI indefinitely while a DEO agent under an assumed FBI title helped Central City PD with forensics related to metas and aliens. Eliza wasn't sure what else they worked on regarding Barry's powers and didn't really care. Her main priority was Kara right now, not the activities of superheroes which her Kara no longer participated in.

Since Kara was with Barry, looking for deer trails and setting up bird feeders in the forest, Eliza had the afternoon to catch up with an old friend.

"Kelex, please bring her up." Eliza asked quietly.

Kelex knew who her was. He did this often for Eliza.

The older woman was a bit stunned for a moment, as she always was when the figure of Alura appeared. The damn hologram was so lifelike, it was if the woman were in the building, alive. After spending an hour or so looking at videos of Kara as a toddler, it was time to complete her ritual.

Eliza had started this just over two years ago, right after Kara had come home from the DEO after her suicide attempt. She needed to talk to someone. She felt like she had failed and needed to beg forgiveness from someone. Jess assured her that she was being ridiculous. She hadn't failed Kara.

This didn't change the fact that she felt as if she had. So, Eliza came to the Fortress and had Kelex call up the image of Alura.

She talked to the image, laid her heart out, asked for guidance as if she were in a church and needed to confess something.

Since then, Eliza would come every few weeks and speak to the woman. Of course, it wasn't her, but the mother felt Alura could hear her, wherever she was, and seeing her hologram made it easier to talk to her. To tell her about Kara.

"It's been a while." Eliza started. "She is doing…better. Better than I ever hoped. She is struggling but has been going to meetings. She found one, a smaller group in a small town fifteen minutes from Midvale. It isn't as long a drive to Raleigh and she only meets with Alfred once a week and calls him every night. She has been going almost every night, even on weekends. We still have to go to Raleigh for Al Anon meetings but Kara attends AA with Alfred there at the same time. The meetings are only a block apart. She has gotten past her first 90 days counting her time in the Block."

Eliza stood up and stepped closer, looking closely at the woman's features. When she first saw the figure it scared her, reminding her of the night Astra had found her. Yes, Alura didn't have the white streak of hair but they were so similar that her heart felt like it stopped beating.

But on closer inspection, Alura was very different than Astra. Alura's face looked tired but loving. Astra's had looked angry, psychotic, full of hate and darkness. At some point Kara had stopped being Astra's beloved niece and became Astra's obsession. That obsession had led to her death and a piece of Kara died as well that night.

"We should be past the worst parts. If she hasn't had any suicidal tendencies caused by the medications by now, she won't. She hasn't been cutting herself. I know. I check her twice a night, I check the laundry, the towels, the sinks after she leaves the bathroom. I watch her constantly and she probably gets annoyed, but I don't care. She is doing good though. Her attitude…she is still sad sometimes. I think she always will be. She still gets angry but not to the degree she used to. Her moods are more stable, not changing every ten minutes. I think we are getting somewhere."

Eliza closed her eyes and tried to relax. She would like to believe that Kara was in the clear, that she would have her happy ever after. But between the nightmares of finding her on that bathroom floor lying in a pool of blood and this monster Diana may or may not have killed, possibly still stalking her youngest daughter, it was hard to relax. She took her own anxiety meds just as Kara did but Eliza kept it a secret. She didn't want Kara to know she had panic attacks at the sight of blood, severe panic attacks at the sight of blood on Kara, and even needed blood samples in research projects placed on slides for her to examine, so her heart wouldn't race.

"I know you are watching her. I know you are proud of her. I…I am also, but I am so scared. Were you? Knowing you would have to send her away, not knowing when but knowing that one day…you had to live with that fear too. How did you do it? How did you live with it every day, never knowing if this would be the day you might never see her again? Not knowing what would happen to her, if she would live or die or who would find her? If you are watching then you know what we found out at the Block, about what you did to ensure she lived. I knew you loved her, that there was some reason why you had sent her away in the manner you did. I always knew. It would have been impossible to not love her, want the best for her."

Eliza took a moment and collected her thoughts, wondering not for the first time is she would have had the courage to send her children away to safety as well despite the unknowns.

She has been doing well in therapy. At least Leslie hasn't seemed as grumpy over the computer when I ask her how she is. I put a picture of you by her bed. I wasn't sure what effect it would have on her, Jeremiah and I argued about it, he thought it may set her off, but she didn't say anything. It is still there though. I think the truth helped her more than I ever dreamed it would. I wish I had known all along. I'll be back soon. I'll take care of her, I promise."

Eliza shook her head and motioned to Kelex to turn off the image.

"Eliza, may I ask you a question about human emotions?"

"Of course, Kelex."

The woman was not surprised. Over the years since he had been released from the crystal, the AI was given a certain amount of latitude to grow. He had trained himself to become familiar with Kara and Alex's needs and expectations in the field. Kelex no longer gave out odds of plans being successful, simply advising if it was impossible or not. Kara had changed his definition of impossible many times. However, after watching the young girl in charge of him basically emotionally self-destruct over the years, he became curious about emotions, so he could uphold one of his prime directives, keep Kara alive. Since her youngest daughter generally only expressed anger when Kelex attempted to discuss her emotions with her, it fell to Eliza to educate the robot.

"Have you experienced jealousy over Alura, due to her status as Kara's birth mother?"

The woman was not expecting that. Kelex was often full of surprises though.

"Yes." Eliza answered immediately. "It became worse when we retrieved the videos and photos of Kara growing up before she came to Earth. I watched her and thought, I wouldn't have put her hair like that, I would have added two braids and the clothes she wore, I know they weren't big on fashion, but she could have put some color on her that highlighted her beautiful eyes. I suppose I have always felt jealousy over Kara. Clark has always been mine. But Kara…she and Alex are so close, always have been. So, I suppose you could say I have even been jealous over my own daughter's relationship with Kara. Not often, but it does happen. Alex is strong, stronger than me or Jeremiah. We are the insecure ones, I suppose."

Kelex said nothing, Eliza assuming he was dissecting her every word to make sense of the emotion.

"I was more jealous of Astra. I was afraid of her when Kara was growing up, but my greatest fear was that she would one day go to Astra, convince her to try and change her ways and stay with her as a condition. I had nightmares about her leaving us. As the years went on and her hate grew for the woman, the nightmares stopped, I knew she was mine, unquestionably. But when Astra called Kara her daughter once on the phone at the DEO, I completely lost it. The idea that someone…I missed the first half of her life, but she is mine, she always will be. She is my baby girl."

"I believe I understand. May I ask another question?"

"You don't have to ask if you can ask a question, Kelex." Eliza told him, as she often did.

"How do you feel about Kara having sexual relations with Barry Allen on an accelerated basis? Based on the number of times she has checked into a hotel in the past month, spent a large amount of time at Barry Allen's Midvale residence and has taken her bike to remote areas around Midvale, it is apparent she is having more frequent intercourse than she has at any point in her life. Prior to Barry Allen she averaged 1.2 sessions every three months, but since her release from the Block that number has risen exponentially…"

"Kelex!" Eliza shouted, wanting to scrub her ears. "You can ask any question but that. Never, never, ask Jeremiah anything regarding Kara or Alex's sex life unless you want to be deactivated. Please. He pretends it doesn't happen and we pretend he doesn't know it happens. It works for all of us. Just…please, don't bring it up."

While Eliza was washing her brain of any images of her daughter and Barry Allen in compromising positions, the two objects of Kelex's curiosity were sitting on the newly poured slab of her one-day home, looking out at the ocean, arms curled around their knees and shoulders touching each other.

"So, you aren't going to any meetings tomorrow night, right?" Barry started, obviously about to bring something up Kara wouldn't like. She had gotten used to the tones of his voice and this was the casual manner he planned to slip a big question in without sounding as if it was a big deal.

"Nope. Not until Monday, in Pine Tree. I'm hitting Raleigh with Alfred on Wednesday, while everyone else goes to the family support group for junkies." Kara told him, a bit of sarcasm in her voice. She appreciated the effort but felt like she was the reason her family had to go to groups just as she was the reason they all started therapy in the first place. Kara believed she had a negative effect on everyone's mental health who came into her life. Barry even still saw Jess, as did the rest of her family, or least they had sessions over video connections.

"So, you have the weekend. I was wondering if you wanted to do something we have never done tomorrow night."

That caught Kara's attention.

"I thought we agreed I wasn't ready for that. I told you I am not going to the drug store to buy what we need. It would be all over Midvale before noon. You can go there, or run to Raleigh if you want selection…"

"Kara stop." Barry told her, holding up his hand and mind now on a completely different tangent.

"I told you we could try." Kara reminded him.

"Yeah." he agreed, remembering that conversation. "But that isn't what I am talking about. J'onn took the transporter he had from your National City apartment and has it set up in mine, the one in Central City."

Kara nodded her head, already knowing this. Alex kept her apprised of everything going on with the Fortress. As of right now, there were only four transporters in the world. One was in the Batcave, one was underneath the very secure hangar in Raleigh, one was in the Midvale house and one was in Barry's apartment. Those were the only entry points to the Fortress of Solitude and were placed in those locations in the event emergency cover or escape was needed.

"I know. I'm not completely out of the loop." Kara reminded him.

"Yeah, so you have never been to my apartment, I've only been there a few times when I stop by to help Wally train…"

"You can go to your apartment, Barry. You don't have to stay in Connolly's old house. If I need you, then…"

"I don't want to be there. I want to be where you are. Even with the transporter I want to be close to you if…but I was thinking maybe the two of us could visit Central City this weekend. I promised I would work with Wally this weekend on throwing lightning and he can come here but it would probably be less conspicuous in Central City where some of my old training hideouts are. You have gotten used to being in cities a little and we could stay out of crowded areas. I know my friends would love to meet you and I bet Caitlin would love to see you again. What do you say?"

Kara stilled, not having expected this. Yes, she had been to Raleigh for meetings but that was it. Truth told she had barely left the Midvale area, and had not spent much time in town either. She made it a point to do her best and not talk to anyone. Despite her slightly shorter and straighter brown hair and green eyes hidden behind her glasses, the girl still worried about people recognizing her. It was a testament to Kara's ability to keep her head down that no one recognized her when she first appeared. Luckily no one in Midvale would have suspected that the shy, socially awkward nerd with anxiety problems could have been the confident hero that plucked a falling plane out of the air. Only those who she looked in the eyes, Lena and Barry, knew without a doubt. Lex had always known, before she even became Supergirl.

"Uh…"

Barry saw she was nervous. Kara had not been nervous in a while and he wondered if he moved too soon.

"We don't have to." he assured her. "I can help Wally and be right back."

The girl stood up and began walking back to the house, not saying anything for the moment, just keeping her eyes on the ground in front of her.

"Kara?"

Kara stopped and slowly turned back to Barry.

"I…can I think about it?"

"Yeah…"

"S.T.A.R. Labs…any labs, after the Block I really don't want to be in any labs." she tried to explain.

Barry nodded his head. "I understand, but we don't have to go there. You can stay in my apartment while I work with Wally. I won't be long. There is a place I would love to take you. It's a coffee shop, a great place and maybe you could meet just Iris or…whoever. They even have a drink named after me. I think you would like it. We can go when it's not busy."

"You mean Jitters?" Kara asked, smiling sadly.

That caught Barry by surprise.

"I thought you hadn't been to Central City since we met again."

Kara shrugged her shoulders.

"Only you would have a 21st birthday party at a coffee shop instead of a bar, Barry Allen. Iris, Joe West, a redheaded theater major named Amber Dobbins, her boyfriend Todd, and a couple guys who I can't remember their names right now. I was there, in a manner of speaking. I watched the whole party."

Kara looked up at the sky and took off her glasses, wiping her eyes with a wrist.

"I sat in the Fortress and surrounded myself with monitors from every security camera, listened to audio from every phone, filtered so it seemed as if I was at the table with you. I wished I could have been there with you. It was either cry or get drunk. I am sure you can guess which choice I made."

"Oh." Barry said, not sure what else to say.

"I got so wasted. I drank an entire bottle and then started another one. After you left, I sat for hours, feeling sorry for myself. Then Kelex told me he had found this man I was searching for, a bounty hunter who went by Carl Draper on Earth. He was a former prison guard on Fort Rozz. I snorted a couple lines and flew after him. Apparently, times were tough, and he took a bounty on me. I found him in Metropolis and lured him underground into an abandoned subway tunnel. My favorite place to fight in a city. The poor guy never had a chance."

Barry stood still, watching her relive the past, as she often did, seeming to be in the memory.

"I stood before him and asked how many times am I going to have to kill you? He was so confused. He didn't know I was talking to Astra. I burned his legs first. He wore armor but despite my less than steady state I burned through it and took out his knee caps. I stood over him and tortured him, then I snapped his neck. I laid down next to his body and feel asleep once the high was gone. Alex found me the next morning and helped me change, walked me out. So that was my only experience with Jitters. I stopped watching you after that."

Barry took a moment then walked behind her, placing his arms around her from behind and pulling her to him until they were pressed against each other. Kara didn't resist, leaning her head back on his shoulder. Her moods may have been lifted lately, more stable and dare he say, happy, but the darkness inside her would always be there he feared.

"So that's a no to coffee?"

The girl snorted and laughed, shaking in his arms and shaking her head.

"No, it's not a no. I can handle it. If you want me to meet your friends, I can handle it. Is it…is it okay if Alex comes with me?"

Kara didn't say it, but Barry knew. She was still banned from weapons, hers locked away from her reach in the Fortress and none in the house she could get to. She wouldn't go anywhere near Central City without some sort of weapon, especially if Barry would be spending time with Wally, so Alex would be her weapon.

"Of course."

Kara nodded her head. "Great. She will be excited. Central City is one place neither of us has seen much of. I'll go let her know. See you for dinner tonight? Mom is making enchiladas again or trying to."

Barry agreed, thinking Kara seemed more relaxed and honestly surprised she agreed. He was also surprised she told him the story of his 21st birthday. He knew she didn't often talk about her …activities in the past with him but she had been opening more lately. Therapy and meetings probably had something to do with it, but he also liked to think he had something to do with it as well. They were growing closer every day. He had even become comfortable enough to talk with her about his own therapy experiences and the loss of his mother and father, something he never would have done even a month ago.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little annoyed that she wanted Alex there. Alex was Kara's security blanket it seemed. He wanted to be the one she clung to for security but knowing the history between the two, it was obvious why. Despite their love, they didn't have the history her and her older sister had, the hell the two had went through together.

Cameron Chase's words also stayed in the back of his mind, though he hated to think of it. She had told him he would always be second to Alex. Always. Perhaps one day Kara would cling to him for comfort first but for now he was behind her sister, her father, her mother. They were the ones she ran to.

At least he was ahead of Bruce Wayne and J'onn Jonzz, so he had that going for him.

After Barry left to shower before dinner, Kara went to the house, finding Alex was less than enthusiastic.

"No! I do not want to go to Central City. You are a big girl and can go with your boyfriend to his apartment and for coffee. It's not like you are taking a plane. You are walking through our transporter into the Fortress and then into his closet. The whole trip should take a minute if you aren't in a hurry."

Kara shook her head.

"I don't want to go without you. I…new people and…S.T.A.R. Labs, what if I have to go there? He is probably going to want me to go there."

"You have been there before. Remember? You were going to destroy the place?"

"That was different! How many times in high school did I sit at a park or at the mall by myself while you were out with a girl, so Mom and Dad wouldn't know? How many times, Alex?"

Alex crossed her arms. "Not as many times as I have saved you from vomiting. Remember that ogre thing? It was about to slime you. I shot it and it was an avalanche of green goo all over me. It got in my mouth. Any favors from High School that I owed you were repaid in full during that little adventure."

Kara admitted that was a disgusting creature and she had held back a laugh, watching Alex try to wipe the remains off her body and face, especially her mouth. Kara may have fibbed about how ineffective her heat vision would have been against it, knowing if she took it out, it would cover her, and she would have been washing green out of her hair for weeks.

So, the former Girl of Steel pouted.

"Don't do that." the older sister told her quickly, recognizing that ploy. "Seriously, stop."

"Dad probably won't want me to go without you there anyway. Barry was excited, and you know Mom and Dad are just starting to relax and realize I won't kill myself. Do you want them worried?"

"They trust Barry." Alex pointed out.

"And they would be even more secure with you there. Don't you think they deserve that peace of mind?"

Alex grabbed her short hair and groaned.

"I don't want to meet his friends, okay?"

That caught Kara by surprise. She knew Alex had formed a relationship with Caitlin Snow that while not friendship was a mutual respect, considering they didn't have a long history together.

"Why? What do you have against them?" Kara asked suspiciously, wondering if Alex was keeping something from her.

"Nothing! I'm sure they are all nice people, but Dante is training Caitlin. How are you going to feel about him seeing him in a similar situation with someone else that he used to only share with you?"

"It's not like they are screwing, and I wouldn't care anyway. I love Barry. I have gotten over that."

"You never get over anything. You may love Barry, but you have always been weird, like possessive weird, about Dante. It isn't love but its…weird. Want another reason? Ramon is probably pissed off that we have had Kelex hacking into his feed to guide Barry in his new suit we made. He is going to have questions about our tech, tech we can't let him or anyone else know about for reasons we discussed. I trust Barry not to share but that material is only given to Connolly's team, Bruce and Dick. S.T.A.R. isn't secure but Ramon seems to think it is, and if it falls into the wrong hands, like the US military, they could…we don't provide weapons for them to use against other countries. Ramon is going to have a million questions I can't…I won't answer. He will be pissed off, probably say something sarcastic and I will have to put him gently to sleep."

"Barry won't let him ask." Kara assured her, plopping back on her bed. "What else you got?"

"The last time I saw his foster father I took the man's gun, forced him to his knees and held it to the back of his head?"

Kara closed her eyes, admitting Alex had a point.

"He wouldn't hold a grudge. He probably hates me more. I am sure between Lobo, Batman and our raid on their headquarters he has figured out that I am not exactly how the media portrays me. Besides you had your mask on. No way he will recognize you."

Alex looked at her in disbelief.

"My build, my hair, my voice, he is going to recognize me. Hell, he knows I am your sister!"

"Want to wear glasses?" Kara joked. Alex didn't smile, so she gave up.

"Fine, I'll just tell him I'm not ready."

Alex shook her head, frustrated. "You are ready! It not like you are going to a concert surrounded by thousands of people. He just wants you in his apartment and at his favorite coffee shop. You don't even have to go to the damn lab. If you get scared hop back to the Fortress. It's easy."

The younger sister shook her head and sat up, moving out the door.

"Kara," Alex called after her.

"I can't do it, Alex. Not by myself. I need you to do this with me and now you are telling me no? Since when do we give a damn about cops who get their guns taken away? He should have defended himself better. Since when are we afraid to tell someone they can't look at our tech? You are right, it is probably best we stay away for now."

"I didn't say that! I said you should go! You don't need…"

"I don't need you? Since when do I not need you? I have done everything you asked since you kidnapped me months ago but now you are telling me I don't need you? This is when I need you, Alex! Just because it isn't an alien you love fighting doesn't mean I don't need you to have my back! I said don't worry about it. I'll go another time, on my own or take Dad."

Alex laughed sharply. "You are going to take Dad to Barry's apartment? He may be in denial about some things when it comes to you, but he isn't that clueless."

Kara admitted she was right. At this point, she had two options, tell Barry she wouldn't be able to go right now or use her final ploy.

"Fine, I'll tell him I'm not ready." she told Alex, sounding resigned. "I'm going to take a shower."

Head dropped, shoulders shagging and feet dragging, Kara made her way out of the bedroom. On her return thirty minutes later, she didn't look at Alex, instead lying in bed with her back to her.

"You are serious right now? You are pulling the full on super pouting? You are such a brat! Clark doesn't pout as much as you do!"

Kara shrugged her shoulders under the covers but didn't turn towards her.

"I'm not pouting. I just want to go to sleep. It's no big deal. I shouldn't go until I can go by myself. I'm 24 years old. I don't need you to go with me. I may try it. What's the worst that could happen? Have a massive panic attack? Not likely with the meds I'm on. I suppose I might look like a fool if I am afraid to talk to someone but that's nothing new. Happened all the time in high school and college. I should be used to looking like a fool around new people. You don't want to go and have made that very clear. I get it. Goodnight Alex."

 **Central City the next night**

Barry walked out of the portal first, Kara following right behind him, bag in hand. He opened the thick Nth metal door with a palm reader inside the lit up false closet and walked into his bedroom along with Kara. They both turned to wait for Alex, who walked out with a look on her face that did not indicate joy at being here.

"So, welcome I guess. This is technically my place, not that I spend much time here." Barry offered, standing aside and letting the girls wander.

Kara took in the bedroom and saw it was a bit impersonal. The only real personal touch was the framed photo of his parents on his nightstand. There were a couple reprints of art on the wall but nothing that stood out. Following him into the living room, she saw it was much the same, very tidy, neat and no signs that anyone lived here full time. Of course, considering his activities over the past couple months, he really didn't live here full time. He spent more time with the League or in Midvale than in this place. Kara thought he may have only used this place for storage.

"Nice place." Alex offered, approving of the layout, the cleanliness and the view. She could see nearly the entire downtown area in the distance and as dark fell it was stunning to see. "How do you exit after you suit up?"

"I haven't had to yet." Barry told her. "But there is roof access, so I can always go up there. Its small but enough for what I need right now. The house I am staying at is a lot more room than I am used to."

"Yeah but for the heart of a major city this is a good space." Alex assured him. "Okay, I'll be in the Fortress. Kara, if you need me, just call Kelex and I can step back into the closet. No jokes, Kara. Have fun, you crazy kids."

Kara stood in shock as Alex gave her a quick hug and with a wave to Barry walk back into the closet, the door closing and the sound of the nth metal door and transporter energy field opening inside.

While Kara stared dumbfounded at the spot her sister had just been, Barry smiled, pleasantly surprised.

"Wow. I got the impression from you that Alex was staying here all weekend. I…Kara? Are you okay? You aren't blinking."

Kara shook her head, forcing herself to concentrate on the here and now. She could do this. She was not the same girl she used to be. She was alone with Barry. She had been alone with him before, quite often lately. But she was now a very long way from Midvale, half a country away. Sure, the Fortress was only a few strides away, but it wasn't the same.

She was in Central City and probably would have felt the same as if she had been dropped off in the middle of Metropolis. Alex was her anchor to Midvale while she was physically in Central City.

And her anchor just abandoned her.

"I'm fine. I think she just wanted to see the place. She had some other plans tonight. Probably going to play X Box with Clark at the Fortress. You know he loves those huge monitors. So, just the two of us tonight, right? We are just going to hang out here? I probably need to take my meds in a few hours and Mom is going to want me to call her afterward…I wouldn't be surprised if you get a text asking you to discreetly watch me…"

"Kara." Barry stopped her. "If you want to go back, its fine. I don't mind." he told her, and she noted the sincerity in his voice. His voice was reassuring as it usually was, and she began to feel more comfortable if not totally relaxed. If she had time with just her and Barry she could become acclimated and would feel at home in no time.

"No, of course not. You know how I am in unfamiliar places. I just need a night, just the two of us and it will feel like a second, or third home by morning…"

Her assurance was cut off by a knock on the door and she actually jumped towards Barry.

"Hey, relax. Whoever it is, I will get rid of them." he assured her. "Nobody is supposed to be here tonight."

Kara stood back, face calm and heart racing which greatly disturbed her since it didn't happen very often. Her medications generally kept her calm, no matter the situation, except for a few triggers and times she felt especially vulnerable without her powers…like now.

Barry walked to the door, bordering on anger but also adrenalin. He suspected who this was but what if he was wrong and a red monster wearing a red ring was behind it?

Of course, why would Atrocitus knock?

His first suspicion was right. He had suspected Iris, but she also had Wally with her.

Both had huge smiles on their faces and bags of greasy fast food in their hands.

"Hi!" the siblings greeted at the same time, then pushed their way in.

"I thought we could eat before we worked on throwing…oh hey," he stopped, faking surprise at seeing a stone-faced Kara in the middle of the living room. "I didn't realize…this is Friday night, right? We said Saturday. I'm sorry, man. Hi, my name is Wally West."

Kara looked at his offered hand and smiled, reaching out to hesitantly take it. Her grip was light, and she knew her palms were probably sweating but the young man with the bright, big smile didn't seem to mind.

"Hi, I'm Iris. I'm sorry, we didn't mean to intrude. My brother is…"

"A liar, who knew exactly what day we were going to meet. I said we wanted to be…" Barry complained before Kara stopped him.

"Its fine, Barry. Hi, I'm Kara." she introduced herself, offering her hand to a smiling Iris.

Iris shook her head in almost disbelief over quite a few things. She was standing in front of the woman she had idolized for the past six years, Supergirl was smiling at her and Supergirl did not look like Supergirl. This girl had brown, chestnut hair, dark green eyes and her hair was in a ponytail, hanging just past her neckline. The dark rimmed glasses threw her as well. It was obvious, on close inspection that this was the greatest hero in history but if Iris were to see her on the street, she wouldn't have given her a second look.

"It's nice to meet you, Kara." Iris offered, staying as neutral as she could be and trying not to fangirl.

Kara for her part, had seen Iris before on video but never face to face. She knew the woman was beautiful and judging by the articles she had read about the Flash, seemed to be a good writer, reminding her of Lois when Lois was starting out, chasing Kara, hounding her would be more accurate, all over the country. Lois had moved on to other things in addition to Kara's adventures just as she had no doubt that Iris would move on from the Flash. Barry had told her Iris was already a reporter on the local crime beat and getting more front-page headlines.

Kara also surprisingly felt comfortable with her. There were not many women Kara felt comfortable with at first meetings. Nyssa was one, but their meeting was unusual to say the least and at the time, she was not Kara Danvers, not even Supergirl. She had been Kara Zor El on a mission to murder Malcolm Merlyn and make Oliver Queen hurt. Lena was the first and probably only female friend Kara had ever had met and felt comfortable with instantly as Kara Danvers and not Supergirl. Even though she considered Lois a friend, to Lois, she would always be Supergirl. Only Cat had come to really see her as Kara.

"We brought food. Big Belly Burger." Wally said, wanting to get her attention back.

"Kara only eats certain things." Barry explained. Since she had given up her powers and realized she could gain and lose weight like the rest of the world, Kara was zealous with her workout and diet. Eliza had found a right combination of foods Kara could stomach that were healthy and didn't make her nauseas because of the side effects of the meds. The diet she consumed was also designed to boost her immunity system.

"But it's very nice of you." the blonde cut in, seeing disappointment on Wally's face. "I would love some fries. Barry, do you actually have drinks in that refrigerator?" she asked, beginning to loosen up a bit. Barry nodded and moved quickly, not wanting to leave Kara alone for long but pleasantly surprised she was doing well and wondering if it was all an act.

The four sat in the living room, the two siblings on the couch and Barry and Kara on a love seat with fast food on a coffee table between them.

Kara was the one who made Wally's night, by asking him about the crimes he had stopped lately. The young man talked for thirty minutes about the actions of criminals in Central City who thought for a while it was a safe place to do business with the Flash being seen all over the world.

Kara for her part, loved the enthusiasm he had. Like Barry, Wally had an infectious personality that made it almost impossible for someone not to like him.

It was Iris she would have to do something about and the blonde wasn't certain she could. Still, it may have been worth the effort if it could get her what she wanted, what she and Leslie had talked about in therapy that Kara needed more of.

She needed more real friends, a larger support structure and a diverse group of people, who she could truly get to know. Kara had agreed to work on this and she supposed since she was already out of her element so to speak, there was nothing to lose.

Actually, there was a lot to lose but if Iris was Barry's best friend, she would find out eventually anyway.

Barry was not prepared for Kara suggesting that he and Wally go out and work tonight while she got to know Iris. The man couldn't even answer right away, instead staring at her in mild shock.

"If you are sure." he offered hesitantly.

"Go Barry." Iris ordered, beyond excited at this unexpected opportunity.

"I'll be back by ten." he told her. What he meant was he would make sure she took her meds, but Barry would pretend he didn't and Kara would pretend she didn't know why he said ten. She always took her meds. They were part of her routine and Kara needed routine.

Soon enough, the two speedsters were gone, leaving the two women alone, facing each other with fast food remains between them.

"So…we can go out and get you something more to your liking? I noticed you didn't eat much. I wasn't sure…"

"Its fine, Iris. I ate before I arrived. I haven't read any news in the last couple months, but Barry tells me you are doing great. Crime reporting? It must run in the blood with your Dad being a cop."

"Yeah, I guess. Not like it runs in your blood, all the crimes you have stopped…"

Kara stood up and walked around the table, sitting next to Iris and taking her hand, turning towards her. The move quieted Iris.

"Iris, you are important to Barry. I think the two of us could become good friends. I would like that. Would you?"

Iris nodded her head. She had hoped to get to know her hero, but this was more than she expected.

"Yeah, I would. I would like that very much."

"Then you're going to have to do something for me, for us, to be friends. Relax. I get it. Supergirl was a big deal to the world. She was a fabrication of Cat Grant and yeah, she did some great things for the world, but she wasn't perfect. Supergirl is gone and she isn't coming back."

Seeing that Iris was really listening to her, she decided to carry on. She had spoken in groups before and could do the same now. She would either scare Iris away or have the possibility of a true friend. It was worth the risk.

"My name is Kara Danvers. I'm a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. I take medications for a multitude of psychological problems and have tried to kill myself twice. I have killed others, a lot of others, many of whom I didn't have to kill to defeat. I'm not a perfect superhero. I wish I could be but I'm not. I'm just me, a screwed up girl who is in love with Barry and doing everything I can to get better and maybe deserve him. I gave up my powers because all I wanted to be since I landed on this planet was safe and normal. I want you to be my friend, not the legend or the myth, just Kara Danvers. Are you still interested?"

Iris took a moment, trying to take that in. Of everything she had expected to hear, those were not on the list.

But so much became clear to her instantly, her investigative mind sharp. The disappearances, Barry's absences, his working with Batman and this new crew of heroes, the training he had been doing, he knew she wouldn't be back. The substance abuse, the killing, the psychological issues surprised the hell out of her and were like a dose of cold water but made sense.

Iris looked into Kara's eyes, eyes that she knew were bright blue but hidden, just as her blonde hair was. Despite the smile on her face, Iris knew she it took a lot for her to say this and she was very nervous, her hand so hot it was warming Iris's.

For the first time that night, Iris West saw Kara Danvers and not Supergirl in disguise.

"I was a waitress at a coffee shop, who had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I saw the Flash and he started talking to me because he was my best friend and I didn't know it. I started a blog that got me a job as a reporter that I am not even sure I deserve. I still think everybody sees me as the girl blogger who is only good for writing about the Flash. My Dad lied to me about my mom, told me she was dead. I didn't even meet her or Wally till last year and she was dying. She had substance abuse issues too and though she got clean the damage had been done. I didn't even know she was alive and then she was dead just when I finally was beginning to let her back into my life. I am angry at my Dad for that, but I love him so much. I had to forgive even though I feel he stole something from me that I will never get back. I don't know what to do with that."

Iris took a deep breath and looked away for a moment then met Kara's eyes again, squeezing her hand.

"The man I love killed himself in front of me to save us all and I have nightmares about it all the time, I wake up alone in bed and I want to scream, I am so angry but there is no one to be angry with. Right now, I don't know if I will ever get over it, ever be able to love again or if I am going to feel this bitterness for the rest of my life and that scares me because I don't want to be alone. So that's me. Still want to be friends?'

"Yeah, I think this will work." Kara told her with a genuine smile. For the first time tonight, Iris wasn't looking at her as a legendary hero and Kara didn't see her as the woman with a career who had it all figured out.

"So, do you like Star Wars or Star Trek?" the blonde asked.

"I really don't care for either." Iris admitted.

Kara shook her head. "Nobody is perfect I guess. Do you think Rose murdered Jack?"

"Yeah, no doubt. There was plenty of room on that board."

Kara patted her on the shoulder. "And that is why you are going to make a great crime reporter. So, tell me about your family and I will tell you about mine.

So, Iris did. The two talked for the next three hours about everything, ranging from parental issues to Hollywood stars Kara had met, to favorite books and movies. When Barry arrived back to the apartment at 9:45 with Wally, he was surprised and very glad to see the two sitting close to one another laughing.

What pleased him most was Kara's laughter. She was being genuine, not forced and had taken off her glasses, an unconscious gesture she did around those she trusted.

After the two left, Kara delayed her sedative for an hour, spending the time with Barry in bed. By that point, she had completely relaxed and spent a restful night in his arms. In the morning, she accompanied him to Jitters where they were met by Wally and Iris at Kara's request.

After breakfast, the two West siblings begged off further activities for the time being, reluctantly, both having places to be that morning.

Barry took Kara on a walk around Central City, the lake shore, the downtown area that thankfully wasn't too crowded, the University, the police station though they didn't go inside and Joe's house. The man wasn't home, so Barry used his key to show the house he spent the second half of his childhood in.

Kara took it in, seeing the similarities between this place and her parent's home in Midvale and National City. The home felt lived in, had an aura almost, of happiness and warmth. Pictures were on the walls and shelves of Barry and Iris both.

"You two are adorable." Kara told him, holding a framed photo of Barry and Iris perhaps 12 years old, wearing dance recital costumes. "I didn't know you danced."

Barry grinned and took the offending picture gently from her hand. "I like singing, too. If you ever want to have a dance off, I am pretty sure I can take you."

Kara barely held in a laugh, holding one hand over her mouth.

"Babe, don't make bold statements that you can't back up. If we ever have a dance off, the stakes are going to be high and I will have no mercy. You may be a meta, but I have moves this galaxy hasn't dreamed of yet. So, what is next? Joe isn't here, I'm not hungry since we ate breakfast late and I won't be rude and go for a run. My entire workout routine is destroyed because of this trip into unfamiliar territory. I hope you have something planned to make it worth my while." she told him suggestively.

Barry smiled but wouldn't be distracted. This was always a tricky time of day and Eliza's text twenty minutes ago had proved to be correct. It was almost like she could see the future where Kara was concerned.

"We may have had a late breakfast, but you still need something. You have your afternoon meds every day at 12:30 after you eat. You have to have something on your stomach before you take them, or you will be drowsy, and we won't do anything the rest of the day. How about a sandwich. A deli two blocks from here makes a great club sandwich, or there are vegan rolls…"

"Are you seriously getting instructions on how to feed and care for Kara from my mother?" she asked, realizing Barry had put more thought into this than she would have normally suspected. "I took my meds this morning and I always take them. I never forget. If I am an hour later eating lunch and swallowing down a couple anti psychotics, it won't kill me or anyone else. I'm not hungry right now and I will let you know when I am."

Barry was taken back by the angry tone of her voice. She had been genuinely happy all morning, but the mention of a sandwich set her off?

He decided to stand his ground.

"Just to be clear, you wanted Alex with you all weekend to make sure you are okay, but if I suggest that you need to take your medicines on time you become angry? I'm confused. Do you want help acclimating or do you just want help from Alex? Yeah, your mother sent me a few texts. Yes, I responded and yes, I am going to follow her advice because I want you safe and I don't want your family to worry. Alex isn't here, and your parent aren't here but I am, and I am asking you to eat a sandwich and take your medication so that, unlike your workout routine, that routine will not be disturbed. If you don't want to, then just say no, but there isn't a reason to get an attitude over it. People love you, deal with it."

Kara's face softened, and the red shade remained, only more of a blush now.

"Sorry. Yeah, maybe a small sandwich, nothing big and I can take the meds. A couple blocks, you said?" she confirmed. He nodded so she took his hand and left the house, finding the deli soon enough.

After forcing herself to consume the tasteless food, she swallowed her two pills and wondered what would be next. She knew Barry wanted her to meet Joe and Cisco, but Joe hadn't been home, and his car hadn't been at the precinct when they walked by. That meant he was probably at S.T.A.R. Labs with Cisco and Caitlin.

"You aren't mad, are you? Because of what I said a…"

"Its fine, Barry. You were right but don't get used to bossing me around. I don't let it happen often. In Midvale, what I say goes. So, are you ready?"

"Ready for what? You want to go back to the apartment? Lay in bed all day, watch some movies and eat pizza…"

"You wanted me to meet all your friends. Joe and Cisco included. I am sure Caitlin is around. I am betting I know where. I'm not going to be afraid of anything. Take me to S.T.A.R. Labs."


	29. Chapter 29

Do not own DC or CW characters

A/N The great laptop switch of 2018 has been completed. I have moved everything over from my Mac and have the new PC running the way I want so updates will not be as far apart. My apologies for the delay. Starting in Chapter 30 all hell is going to break loose so enjoy the peace while we can, right?

 **Chapter 29 Why do we fall?**

Cisco and Joe stood in front of a small monitor watching another interview with Maxwell Lord. The man had been showing up on every show not owned by Catco for the past two months, fulfilling his ambition of two years before to proclaim to the world that Supergirl was not a reliable hero but an alien with a hidden agenda who only fosters good will with the world to eventually turn on it. She most likely was planning her invasion as they sat in studio.

"This guy really doesn't like her." Cisco mumbled.

"He actually likes me too much." a new voice spoke, scaring both men. They turned and saw the small, thin brunette wearing glasses, holding Barry's hand.

"I used to watch him, fly by his office, his residence, just to see if he had anything going on that my tech couldn't find out about." Kara explained. "I found something alright. He has 12 posters of me in his bedroom. Let's just say…his obsession with me is kind of a love hate thing. I haven't gone near that residence since…ugh…I have never closed my eyes and flown away so fast in my life."

Joe and Cisco stood with open mouths, taking her in along with a grinning Barry. The two had talked about meeting her at dinner, but neither expected she would come to S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry told them Kara would not be coming here.

But she was here.

And they were standing there like mute idiots who couldn't say hi.

"Didn't mean to surprise you." Kara offered, seeing they were looking at her awkwardly. "I asked Barry to bring me by, get to meet you all. I'm Kara."

Joe shook off his shock first. Despite his assertions in the past couple months or so that Barry having Supergirl in his life would only bring trouble, he couldn't help but be impressed, even in awe. He had seen her briefly when her and Batman had been at the Lab but not long enough. Seeing her like this was surreal and his mind kept flashing back to a little girl she had flown out of a tenth story before the floor was completely engulfed in flames. The News showed the rescue of course but he remembered watching her holding the child on the street, running her hands through the dark girl's black hair and whispering soothingly in her ear while the child cried and held onto her.

"Kara…Hi, Kara. I'm Joe West. I guess we met briefly before."

Kara grinned and dropped her head a bit.

"Yeah, that was an interesting morning. No hard feelings I hope. My sister felt really bad about taking your gun." the girl lied. Alex never felt bad about taking anyone's gun.

"Oh! No problem. I didn't have the best reaction to your…friend in black and she got the jump on me. Just like a good partner should do. I wish my partner was that effective. No big deal. It taught me a valuable lesson. No more surprises. I don't think she would have such an easy time again." Joe weakly defended but tried to sound confident.

"Yeah, she could, but its nothing to be ashamed of. We have been trained for war since we were in our early teens, by special forces soldiers. Not many people can beat her. Batman might if he could take her one on one, but he has never gotten the opportunity. We always fight together and the two of us don't lose. Cisco, right? The guy who makes this place run. Its nice to meet you when I don't have Harrison Wells on my mind."

Cisco was still looking at her with wide eyed fascination, not sure what to say past hello. He had a hard time believing this was Supergirl on first sight and could understand how she blended in with the public. But up close it was her. Despite her small stature, this was the girl who fought wars against aliens, saved thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people from fires and natural disasters, stopped hundreds of crimes, hunted psychos with Batman. She was hidden no doubt, dark glasses, a faded denim jacket and matching jeans, a purple tee that had some band he had never heard of on it, but it was her.

"Cisco?" Barry prodded.

"Oh yeah! I'm Cisco, but you know that. I... its a pleasure to meet you. We weren't expecting you here. Barry…uh Barry said you weren't a big fan of the place."

Kara shrugged her shoulders and offered her hand to the shorter man. Cisco took it and she regretted offering, considering how hot and clammy his hands were and how vigorously he was shaking.

"No, before I knew the whole story, I was not. I wanted nothing more than an excuse to burn this building. I blamed Harrison Wells for destroying Barry's life and wanted him dead and his dangerous experiments wiped from history. But I understand now. The man responsible for all that is dead. No reason to blame a building, right? Do you mind if I turn off your security cameras? Just the ones on me. I want to take off my glasses and I am still leery of cameras recording me."

Cisco looked at Joe who was still a bit wide eyed and trying to take this in. Both men thought they would have more time to prepare to meet her.

"I…sure…I…"

"Thanks." Kara told him, taking his stuttering for confirmation. She had planned to do it anyway but felt it was polite to ask.

"Kelex?"

Cisco heard an alarm behind him. The console indicated the security cams had failed in the room they were in.

"That's…impressive response time." he noted, turning to face her. Without her glasses she was much closer to the legendary blonde figure who dominated the news headlines for the past six years. "Do you have a com in your ear I can't see?"

The girl shook her head. "There are intercoms, phones, microphones, recorders. Wherever there are cameras Kelex keeps an eye on me and if he can hear me, he listens. I guess you could say he is my guardian angel. So…Barry was going to show me around. Is that okay?"

Barry chuckled, enjoying the reactions of his foster father and good friend. They had not expected her and for once, Kara took the lead and had control of the conversation. He had been watching her closely and she hadn't been shaking, or sweating, or twitching. Of course, she just had her meds but appeared to be handling everything with no problems.

"C'mon, I'll show you around." Barry offered.

"No!" Cisco quickly told him. "I would like to…if its okay with Kara? We haven't had a chance…I mean if you want to, that's cool. I just know the place better…not to say you don't. You could come with us Barry…wait, do you want to? Come with me, I mean. Just to have a tour and…"

"Yes." Kara told him, deciding to have mercy. "I would love to see the inner workings of this place. Barry and Joe would probably love to catch up."

Barry tensed, not expecting this. Kara would leave his side? Why? She may have just had medications, but she normally would never walk off into a lab with someone she just met.

"Kara?"

"Its fine, Barry. I'm fine. I haven't gotten to spend much time with Cisco, not like I have with Caitlin."

Kara stepped closely up to Joe and took his hand.

"I hope we can talk more later. Barry said something about dinner tonight?"

Joe grinned at her, happy to see he had been wrong. Why he had ever thought this slip of a girl who was so good with people could be dangerous, eluded him.

"I look forward to it. I'm making one of my Mom's recipes, one of Barry's favorites."

"I can't wait." Kara assured him and turned to walk out with Cisco. Before they went out the door, Kara stopped.

"Oh, and Joe?"

"Yeah?" he asked, before speaking to a worried Barry.

"You really should keep a better eye on your weapon."

Kara made sure the weapon was on safety and tossed it gently across the room towards the man. Joe caught it, despite his disbelief.

The girl shrugged her shoulders.

"Like I said, we have been training for war for a lot of years. Let's get together sometime and I can show you a few tricks."

Kara grabbed Cisco's arm and practically pulled the disbelieving man out of the room, leaving Joe and Barry alone.

Joe was speechless, not sure what to say and trying to figure out how she took his gun from a shoulder holster inside his jacket without his notice. Barry, despite his earlier worry was holding back a laugh now.

"She isn't kidding, you know? Both sisters have disarmed you now. You should really keep a closer eye on that thing." Barry suggested.

Joe slapped him on the back with a smile.

"I knew she was taking my gun."

Barry stared at him a moment more until he dropped his head.

"Okay, I'm getting old or they are really, really good. I hope they are really, really good. Tell me what's going on with you. Cat Grant says you are a member of this so-called Justice League. What's it like to hang with that group?"

Barry didn't bother to hide his annoyance. "Cat Grant should leave the naming to Cisco."

The two talked about the new friends he had made and Wally's training last night. Joe caught him up on the happenings around the Station.

Despite Barry's easy manner he worried, wondering why Kara had left so easily. It wasn't like her and a spontaneous Kara was a dangerous Kara. Eliza and Alex had both told him this. They would be the experts and he briefly wondered if he should call one of them.

Barry shook off that thought. The cameras on her may be off as she walks along but he had no doubt Alex and Eliza were watching every step she took somehow.

While Barry and Joe spent some much-needed time together catching up, Cisco was holding in his inner fanboy and at the same time, doing his best to impress her. First, he showed her the Pipeline, probably not the best choice but he had no way of knowing that.

"So, this is where you locked up metas." Kara said, more to herself than Cisco.

"Yeah. I made them myself. Pretty much guaranteed to keep any meta in. It works…"

"I know how it works. I've studied the schematics." she cut him off, voice sounding pleasant, but the man caught an edge to it he hadn't heard before. Almost as if she was now forcing herself to be cheerful.

"Oh right." he told her, pretending as if a memory occurred to him. "I showed Batman and he had downloaded…"

"I don't need Batman for intelligence. So, when Barry wanted to race Zoom this is where you held him after drugging him, right?"

Cisco stiffened for a moment, certain the playfulness was gone from her voice, no matter how she tried to hide it.

"Yeah…yeah, I guess we did."

Kara laughed, though it wasn't the sound of someone who found something hilarious.

"Thank your God for Wally West. Zoom may still be on the loose or thousands if not millions dead were it not for him."

Cisco looked at her closely, studying her face in detail. He almost wished she would put her glasses back on. There was something there behind the cheerful facade, he was certain of it. Sure, Barry had told him Supergirl had been sick but what else had happened to her?

Kara noticed his scrutiny and placed a softer, understanding smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, that must be a horrible memory. I shouldn't have brought it up. Zoom wouldn't have killed thousands. I would have killed him long before it got to that point. The man sounded arrogant enough to believe he could beat me. Show me your workshop. I would love to see where you make your magic happen."

Deciding the Pipeline wasn't the best place to bring her, Cisco quickly agreed, taking the long way to his workshop. She remained quiet while taking in the place, making no comment on the architecture or any tech she saw. Cisco suspected being an alien and having the tech she had at her command, not much here would impress her.

To his pleasant surprise she did take an interest in the projects he had been working on.

"This is where you made the cold gun that Leonard Snart used to try and kill Barry, right?"

Cisco stiffened his body this time. The accusation in her voice was not concealed, despite her soft tone.

"Yeah…that was…"

"I understand." Kara told him. "Its easy to be frightened of people like me, like Barry. You barely knew him and wanted an assurance he wouldn't become a danger. Its understandable. But I have to ask Cisco, have you been working on any other weapons that can harm him?"

"No!" he answered quickly, when she turned fully towards him and their eyes locked. Cisco knew she didn't have her powers any longer but something about her had a part of him terrified, despite her pleasant demeanor.

Kara nodded, knowing truth when she heard it, and checked the weapon on his desk, slipping a screw driver into the sleeve of her jacket, just in case a weapon was needed for any reason. The girl was deadly with her body but with any sort of sharp or hard object, she was unstoppable and felt confident against any metas or hooded individuals that might stop by for a surprise visit.

Kara had felt no anxiety since she arrived, but paranoia would always live in the back of her mind and knowing the things that had happened to Barry in this building lit a fire in her heart that had been buried. She knew she needed to calm down and having a weapon helped with that.

"Thank you, for taking care of him, after the lightning. I know you and Caitlin were the ones who kept him going, kept him alive. I should have been there. I am glad you were. You are a good friend to him."

Kara took a closer look at the man's large work desk.

"This is interesting. What is it?" she asked. Cisco was relieved she had not found any weapon she could possibly think could harm Barry.

"That is a prototype I have been working on, a rifle powered by a small piece of dwarf star core that Palmer Tech found. Ray Palmer asked for my help on a project he was working on. He showed me the power source and needed advice on using it to power complex electrical components. I never got to see the entire project. He kept it close to the vest and the money was too good for me to ask any questions. He did let me take a small sample of the core. I think I have discovered a way to harness blue energy and compress it into weaponized light beams."

"Interesting," Kara admitted, not mentioning that Alex had been harnessing compressed light under a hard shell of the same ore for six years. She also made a note to check up on Ray Palmer. Kara was an admirer of the man, one of the a few billionaires who was not always out for himself, who effected positive change. The idea of him playing around with blue energy and dwarf star ore had her concerned. A wrong wire crossed, and a simple blast of energy could turn into an explosion.

"Having any luck?" she asked, weapon in hand and impressed with the technology, but seeing it was not complete.

"No." the man admitted. "I can get the necessary power but the converter I am using isn't strong enough to hold and shape the beams. It overheats quickly. If I tried it at full blast it would blow up in my hands."

The blonde nodded, agreeing with that assessment. At least he was being careful.

"May I?" Kara asked, looking at a small drill, a wire stripper and a soldering iron.

"Sure." he told her, very curious as to what she planned to do.

Kara carefully took the cover off the side, not happy with the low-grade screws holding it in place. The capacitor looked fine, but the problem was with the core.

"Your core is too large. Do you have a safe place to cut this and a saw, laser cutter? It has to be precise and cannot have any static discharge."

He nodded excitedly, and she followed into the next room, happy to see a large clear container with a robotic arm over a table in the middle. From the outside looking in, the room was not large but well vented. If an explosion occurred, the energy should go straight up the top of S.T.A.R. What was left of the roof anyway.

Placing on welder's goggles she motioned to him to do the same. Taking control of the bright thin beam three foot long under a steel blade, on the robotic arm through the outside controls, Kara deftly cut the small stone in half. The power surge inside was incredible but as the girl had suspected, the room was strong, and no explosion took place.

"Okay, give it a few hours to cool down to 40 Celsius, readjust your casing and double up on the compressor, thinning it out using the extra space to double the thickness and you should have a fancy, workable, space laser rifle. Be careful with it. It could burn through a human easily and shatter a concrete wall. My sister's staff uses similar technology and has incredible power."

Cisco couldn't believe his eyes and ears. He had been nervous to mess with the core, dealing with a relatively unknown power source that could become unstable at anytime. Kara cut through it in seconds without a second thought and from a brief look, solved a problem he had been working on for months.

"How are you so comfortable with this?" he finally asked. "You have done this before, right?"

Kara grinned at him and winked.

"I'm an alien, Cisco. I keep dwarf star cores for paperweights at my Fortress. My friend Lobo usually brings a bag of them when he visits me on Earth. He knows I like to play with weapons. Everybody has their hobbies, right?"

The man nodded slowly, remembering Lobo and wondering how many weapons he had and just how intelligent Kara was.

Kara could read his expression. Reading people was a habit she had to learn over the years.

"When I had my powers, I could read any book on any subject and assimilate the knowledge in seconds." she explained in a matter of fact one, not bragging but speaking as if it were obvious. "I still have that knowledge but even without my powers, my brain is perfect, genetically speaking. I was grown in a lab under strict conditions and development like all Kryptonians. I wasn't given any predispositions other than physical traits, but my brain is a perfect specimen, and I tend to use it a lot. I also come from an advanced civilization that began education at an early age. As soon as I could talk, I spent what would be considered probably ten to twelve hours a day on Earth, every day studying mathematics, engineering and physics with a robot called a Kelex. The difference is that while humans study theoretical physics, I studied physics that were proven. Mathematics, science, they are unchanging. Once you understand the rules of the universe, everything makes sense, even the most complex processes become simple."

Cisco couldn't help but be impressed. He knew of course that Kara, or at least Supergirl, was an alien. This was the first time he truly realized he was standing in front of someone born on another planet and what it meant for humanity.

"How did you make Barry's ring? He hasn't shown it to me, but I know what it can do. How did you do it? Do you know the science behind it?"

"Yes, I do, but I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"Why not?" he asked in almost a pleading tone, hoping she was teasing.

Kara leaned against his work bench and crossed her arms, head down and having suspected this conversation would happen.

"Because if this information was leaked to a Government, any Government, then that country would be unstoppable. Imagine if the United States had a Rann transporter and one of my crystals. They could literally put hundreds of drones inside a small crystal and arrive anywhere in the world, inside any city, and attack. Who would stop them? What if Russia or China had it? What if North Korea could store a nuclear bomb inside of it and toss it through a transporter linking them with Metropolis. A nuclear weapon could appear in seconds in the downtown area and no one would have a chance of stopping it. Sharing this technology with the world could usher in a new age of warfare, more advanced and potentially catastrophic to the entire human race. That's why I am selective on the suits I have made. Only Alex, Batman, Nightwing and Barry have my tech and fabric. Five very close friends of mine have body suits of just fabric to protect them from knives, blades and laser burns but no other tech."

Kara put a hand on Cisco's shoulder, looking him in the eye.

"If I gave you this tech, showed you the secrets, the world would be in danger. I'm sorry."

The man backed away and turned from her. She thought he would turn it over to the Government? He was Barry's best friend! At least besides Iris. He would never betray those secrets.

"You don't know me very well, Kara. I don't expect anything, even your trust but I would never betray…"

"Leonard Snart." Kara cut in, irritating Cisco. He turned back to her quickly.

"That gun was made in the event…I didn't know Barry that well and we had already made …"

"That's not what I am talking about." Kara stopped him, her voice remaining calm, sitting on his desk now.

"You told him who Barry was because he threatened your brother. I understand that. I would do anything in the world for my family, kill anyone, destroy anything. I put them above all others. If the US Government ever even suspected you had knowledge of this tech personally, they would not hesitate to use your parents and brother against you. No one should be in that position. The less you know, the better. I know you would never voluntarily give this information over, but us two, we are the same, and Snart proved it. Our families come first, as they should, Cisco. I don't ever want you to have to decide between them and the Earth. Do you understand?"

Listening to her rational explanation calmed Cisco quite a bit.

He remembered being captured by Snart, seeing his brother threatened. She would do anything for family and so would he.

"I get it." the man admitted.

Kara let out a breath.

"I'm glad. I want us to be friends. I will help you anyway I can whenever you need advice or hints or just someone who is good with tools. But the crystals, the fabric, the transporters, they cannot get out. The men who have the suits do not have family that can be used against them. They don't have any. Only Barry has friends who are targets and he knows what is at stake. He would have to watch them die instead of giving the specs away. I don't want anyone else in that position. So, we should probably find Barry. He has had enough time to catch up with Joe."

Once reunited with Barry, the two walked hand in hand to find Caitlin, who was most likely in her lab, the Flash suspected.

She was in her lab.

In Dante's arms, with her tongue down his throat.

Barry cleared his throat. The two noticed them and practically jumped apart.

"Kara." Dante greeted her. "I knew you were in the city, but this is the last place I expected you to be. Uh…Barry, its good to see you again."

Kara stared at the two, her face stone, giving no indication of her thoughts.

"I don't remember this training technique, Dante. I suppose Caitlin's powers are under control now?" she finally asked.

Caitlin walked slowly towards her, her smile brightening now that the surprise had worn off.

"Its so good to see you, Kara." Caitlin told her. "We weren't expecting to see you until tonight at Joe's for dinner. How have you been feeling?"

She may have seemed friendly, but Kara was not fooled. That brief spark in her eyes told the girl all she needed to know.

"I feel great. I don't remember when I have felt this good. Everything is going well, I have no worries, my house is coming along nicely." Kara told her, smile planted on her face.

Dante watched her closely, looking for signs of…anything. It literally could be anything. He had not told anyone about his and Caitlin's burgeoning romance. It certainly wasn't something he would talk to Kara about. While Kara had been in Midvale, he had spoken to her over the phone but spent his time between Central City helping Caitlin and Metropolis, handling his spy network. Now the girl he had spent the past decade training and guiding, the one who professed her love for him on multiple occasions that never ended well, was here and had just found out in the worst possible way.

If Kara began speaking in a clinical tone, it would be time to have Barry get Caitlin out of here.

Barry was curious as well. He was very surprised to see Caitlin with anyone, but his mild shock was nothing compared to the tension he could feel radiating off a smiling Dante. The man was practically bleeding nervous energy.

Barry was not clueless. He had picked up enough from Alex's family and the men who worked with him to know the relationship between Dante and Kara had been off. While it was obvious Dante saw Kara as a girl he cared for and taught to protect herself, stayed by her side, no matter what, Kara never saw him as a mentor so much. Whenever Barry had tried to get more information from Alex, the older sister would clam up and change the subject. Ty had mentioned one day while sparring with him, that he was glad Kara had let Dante back in and he hoped it worked out better this time.

So, what was it? It should have been simple. She was his little sister and looked up to him as a guide, a mentor of sorts. Only that didn't seem to be the case and it was being made clear right now, judging by the tension between Kara and Dante.

 _"Everyone you love dies. You are as cursed as I am. He is under my protection. If he is harmed I will strangle you with your frozen intestines."_ Kara finally said, breaking the brief silence, albeit with a language none of them understood.

"What was that? Kryptonese?" Caitlin asked, a spark of mischief in her eyes that only Kara caught.

"Yes. Its a blessing for lovers, wishing you happiness, peace and perfect contentment with each other." Kara told her kindly.

The two women locked eyes and Kara saw what she was looking for. Caitlin's eyes had light blue leaking into the irises before becoming normal again. Neither Barry or Dante noticed.

"Hey, I need to talk to Caitlin alone for a minute. I just have questions about a few of my medications. Why don't you guys go catch up?" Kara suggested.

Dante and Barry both hesitated, not liking the atmosphere but not seeing any other choice. They couldn't very well insist on staying in a room while Kara spoke to one of her doctors.

"You look like you have been gaining muscle, Barry. I guess Hawk's workouts and Jeremiah's protein and mass builders are working for you?"

Before Barry could respond, Dante had a hand on his shoulder, guiding him out of the room.

The two women waited for a moment, listening to the footsteps fading away before speaking.

"So, Dante is working with you to bring these two sides of yourself together, right? How is that going?" Kara started.

Caitlin shrugged her shoulders and turned her back, walking farther into the lab.

"It's going well. I can use my powers, without fear of becoming her. Dante keeps me calm, helps me focus, keep Killer Frost at bay."

"I suppose that's why you have white streaks in your hair now." Kara commented, following her deeper into the lab. "Killer Frost is safe and sound, tucked away where she can't get out, even when you use those powers, right? Have you tried to use the dampening necklace Mom made for you?"

Caitlin laughed and turned back towards Kara, eyes completely blue.

"Mom? You mean the poor woman you have tortured all these years, who has put up with your crap, and has panic attacks because of you? That Mom? Yes, Caitlin did try it. It was effective, but she felt, and Dante agreed that it would be better for Dr. Snow to control both sides of my personality."

"Seems like Dante is doing a hell of a job." Kara said lowly, walking closer to Snow. "Does he realize you are her now, or have you just become that good of an actress?"

Caitlin shook her head and walked to her desk, leaning against it.

"Maybe you should tell him. Nobody is going to believe the paranoid crazy girl, the one who just admitted she had problems with her meds. Perhaps you need an increased dosage? Much more and you will be drooling. Or did you want to ask about birth control? You couldn't have Dante, right? I could see the jealousy in your eyes when you saw us. You may love your little superhero boyfriend but being rejected had to suck, especially seeing him all over me. Pricks at the ego, doesn't it, Supergirl?"

Kara shook her head, trying to think straight and ignore the heat she felt building in her core. Before she lost her powers, her eyes would be glowing so hot the entire room would be a sauna. Now, the fire only burned inside.

"Caitlin Snow he deserves, but I won't let this, whatever you are…"

Snow barked a sharp laugh. "You won't let? A 24-year-old junkie. A girl who has been a burden to a family since she arrived on this planet. I read your case files. Suicidal, self harming, whining, sad little monster. No matter what I am or become, you will always be evil and useless. What makes you think you deserve sweet Barry Allen? Hasn't he hurt enough? You are nothing, nothing but pain to the ones who love you. Do them all a favor and off yourself. Try to get it right this time."

Kara stormed towards Caitlin, who stood her ground.

"Do it. Show them all what a monster you are." Frost challenged, her eyes a bright glowing blue. "Show them how you would hurt poor Caitlin Snow because you don't like her with the guy you could never have."

"That is not what this is about! You have him fooled. You aren't Caitlin Snow, you are just pretending to be. He won't be hurt by you. Neither will Barry or anyone else. Leave this place and never come back."

"No." was Killer Frost's simple response, angering Kara even more. "I like it here. Now were you wanting to talk about your psycho meds, or do you need birth control? I understand you are a slut who gets her self worth from sex, Nightwing, probably Batman considering he had a huge facility built to dry out his favorite junkie. If you hadn't found out Barry was the Flash, you would have never spoken to him again. You do have a thing for superheroes and vigilantes. Since no one on this planet wants you reproducing, I can let Caitlin out to play long enough to fix that problem for you. Perhaps surgical options to make sure there is no chance would work for you?"

The screw drive slipped from Kara's sleeve into her palm. She felt cold and hot at the same time, considering her options. She felt no anxiety, no sadness or lethargy. She only felt anger.

Then Frost had to change her appearance to Caitlin Snow, the woman who treated her, helped save her life.

While she wrestled with herself, knowing that Killer Frost was in front of her, yet she could do nothing without harming Caitlin Snow, Kara gripped the screw driver tighter. Counting in her head, as her therapist taught her, she reached ten before a soft, warm hand was over hers, taking the tool away gently.

Barry.

"Hey there. Cisco was looking for this. I figured you must have grabbed it and forgot you had it. You two get everything worked out?"

"Yep." Caitlin answered happily. "Kara just had some questions. I think we have it all worked out, don't we Kara?"

"I think we do. I need to take a nap. Can we go back to your place before dinner?" she asked her boyfriend.

Barry was taken back by how tired she sounded, almost defeated. He was also very concerned about why she had a screw driver hidden on her, but that talk didn't need to happen in S.T.A.R.

Once they were outside, Kara moving quickly without saying goodbye to anyone, the girl pulled her phone from her pocket.

"Kelex, were you recording?"

"Of course." the robot answered on the other end.

"Send the recording to Dante. He needs to know this plan he has of merging the two isn't working. That's Killer Frost in there."

"Sending now."

Kara ended the call and let the tears fall, stepping away from Barry and crossing her arms. She fumbled inside her jacket pocket and shakily placed her glasses back on.

"Kara? Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" she asked sharply.

Barry shook his head, wanting to take care of this, of her, but wondering for the first time if he should take her to the Fortress.

"That wasn't Caitlin I was talking to. Killer Frost has complete control and is only pretending to be her."

"I think we would know, Kara. Did this have something to do with her being with Dante?" he asked, hesitantly.

Barry's question was met with a storm, a burst of anger he had not seen from her in a very long time.

"Dante? You think this is about Dante? You would know? Are you even going to ask to hear what was said? You think I would make this up because Caitlin Snow was wrapped around Dante? I'm supposed to trust you with everything, but you doubt me!?"

Kara took her phone again and ordered Kelex to send the recording to Barry's phone and walked off quickly, leaving him behind, not due to her speed of course but a feeling he had just said the wrong thing and wasn't sure how to take it back.

Instead of following her, he pulled his phone and saw a voicemail. The man wasn't sure he wanted to hear this but knew he had to.

After listening to the conversation that had taken place while he and Dante were outside, his blood ran cold and he felt sick. Kara had been right. She recognized something none of them had who were supposed to know Caitlin best. The man moved quickly to her side, reaching for her hand. To his disappointment and worry, she pulled her hand away.

"Don't touch me." Kara hissed.

"Can I at least carry you to the apartment?" he offered, wanting to get her somewhere she would stop walking and have to talk.

"I said don't touch me."

Doing as she asked, he stayed by her side until they finally got to his apartment. Once inside, he was afraid she would head straight to the closet and enter the Fortress. To his relief she did not, instead sitting in his recliner.

He took a seat on the couch and waited a few minutes while Kara leaned back with her eyes closed.

It was Kara that broke the silence.

"When I was 16, I learned three different ways to snap a person's neck. Dante taught me. Everyday since I had begun training at 13, I daydreamed about the fight I would have with Astra, with Non and I fought those battles over and over in my head. When he taught me to bend a person back, have them in a defenseless position, lift with one arm and twist with the other, wrapped around the enemy's head and neck, I knew I had it. It was how the fight would end. If I had the chance, that was the move I would use to end her. I would see her face, some of it, and it would be quick. After I learned that move, after I had that epiphany, I began having different nightmares. In those nightmares, I was running with Clark in my arms, just a 13-year-old girl, no powers, just trying to hide. I was frightened, and I could feel some sort of monster behind me. After two weeks of those recurring dreams I was finally caught. I was knocked down and when I rolled over, I saw myself, eyes glowing, floating in the sky above me, fists curled, and a cape draped around me. I realized then, that I was the monster."

Kara shook her head slightly and leaned forward, meeting his eyes.

"You want to know how I knew? I look at a monster in the mirror everyday. I have looked in the eyes of the Joker and seen complete madness. I saw a group of so called soldiers in the Congo, killing children, raping women, burning homes. I have seen evil, Barry. I recognize it, I can smell it. Caitlin hides the two halves of herself from each other and maybe one day they can merge but now, when she accesses her power, she lets the monster run free and Dante was too stupid to see it. I hid it from him as well. I know a monster when I see one Barry. I just had to talk to her alone and be sure."

Barry thought about this, a part of him feeling like a fool, one for instantly doubting her when he had asked her to completely trust him, two, for not noticing that Caitlin hadn't been Caitlin for who knew how long and three because of jealousy.

Was he jealous?

The man had no idea. If Caitlin had been talking to Cisco or kissing someone else, would Kara have noticed as quickly?

"You're wondering what the story is with me and Dante, right?" Kara asked, a slight grin on her face as she sat back in the recliner. "I told you I can read people, Barry. You are wondering if I would have noticed as quickly if she had been in the same room with someone else, anyone else. The truth is, I don't know. The story with me and Dante is a bit complicated. If you really want to hear it…I don't want you to know but I will tell you."

"You love him?" Barry asked quietly, looking her direction but not quite meeting her eyes. The man was afraid of what she would say next.

"No."

It was said so simply, sounded so sincere that he couldn't pick up any deception.

But Kara was as good at deceiving people as she was at reading people.

Seeing that wouldn't be enough for him, she took a deep breath and told him what he probably wanted to hear, and she didn't want to say.

"I did love him, maybe. I don't know. When I arrived on this planet I was 13 going on 16 and had hormones to prove it. I knew I could never be involved with anyone. It bothered me more than I let on. Alex and I, we lived in our own world. When you carry secrets as big as we did, you never truly feel part of the world. That's probably why we cling to each other. Neither of us learned to open up to others often. I swore off having friends who weren't in the know, after I had to give you up and Lena two weeks later. But the one constant in my life was Dante. He knew everything and was always there, often without a shirt on. It's a miracle I managed puberty and learning to control my powers. I had convinced myself as I grew that he maybe felt things for me. I was so sure, that when I was 17 I asked if he would marry me."

Had Barry been eating or drinking he would have choked.

"You asked him…to marry you?"

Kara's grin was gone from her face, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.

"Yeah. Of course, he didn't see…and I realized…it was embarrassing but we got past it. I guess I just wanted someone who I wouldn't have to hide from, who knew everything about me already and wasn't scared of me, someone who really knew me. He was that guy. Then after my last suicide attempt, things…I screwed up. It was one of the worst things I have ever done in my life and that is saying something."

Kara stood up and walked to the window, crossing her arms and dropping her head. Barry stood up and followed, hands on her waist.

"You don't have to tell me."

Kara nodded her head. "I know I don't. You deserve to know. I told you I would let you in and I meant that. After I tried to kill myself…the second time, I was finally allowed to move back to my apartment after two months. I spent a month in a makeshift suicide watch room and then a month under house arrest with my parents. I made them think I was okay, that I made a mistake and it wouldn't happen again. I made them believe I was alright. My drinking was bad, but I wasn't shaking at that point. The month long unintentional detox at the DEO didn't bother me because I was pretty much catatonic. When I stayed at my parents I could sneak down at night while they slept. Dad kept bottles in a cabinet for holidays or dinner parties but hardly ever got them out. I had gone through three of the five of them before I left, and he never noticed. They weren't concerned about me drinking then. They had no idea how much I consumed. I hadn't started using drugs yet."

I'm guessing your Dad got rid of…" Barry guessed.

"He would burn down every place that serves alcohol if he could. Besides the point. The second or third night I was back, Dick Grayson was there. Alex was at work and I was lonely. I was also drunk. I wore a bracelet, so I could sober up before Alex got home or if she needed me. Apparently, Dante bumped into Dick as he was leaving and had a chat with my Dad about him using me, then my Dad had a chat with me. I was furious. Dante pretty much told my Dad I was having sex already. I felt betrayed. Then Dad bringing up my…not boyfriend…who he already hated, I couldn't process it, so I blamed Dante."

Barry pressed closer to her, hoping she would turn around, look at him. He needed to see her face to know how she was feeling. He knew this wasn't easy and once again, wasn't sure if he should stay quiet or bring her back to the present.

"I was angry and frustrated and determined. If he wanted to get involved in my business, then he would go all the way. So, I waited for him in his apartment, the next night, drunk, and half naked…mostly naked. When he showed up, I gave him an option. He was mine or he stayed out of my business. He told me no and I told him to get out of my life for good. I didn't speak to him for two years until he came to the Block. Today was only the second time I have seen him since I entered the Block and I was caught by surprise. Seeing him in that position threw me but I don't love him."

Kara turned and laid her arms on Barry's shoulders.

"I'm going to take a nap. Do you mind?"

He shook his head. "I thought you might want to go back?"

The blonde shook her head. "We told Joe we would be there for dinner and I want to hang out with Iris, get to know her better. Killer Frost doesn't bother me. She said nothing to me that I haven't said a thousand times to myself."

Kara seemed calm, no tears in her eyes as she walked towards the bedroom. Deciding he had pushed his luck enough today, the man decided not to bring up Kara arming herself with a pointed metal object. Maybe he would tell Alex about it, if Alex didn't know already. He considered calling Dante, calling Caitlin, calling Iris. Instead of any of these ideas, he waited until he heard Kara softly snoring and laid beside her. As soon as he lay near her, she moved into him, never waking.

That night, as the Flash and Supergirl were having dinner with Barry's family, Dante was doing his best to calm Caitlin. After receiving the recording from Kelex, he had pretended nothing was wrong, greeting Caitlin warmly and then pressing the dampener to her neck. Once the blue necklace touched her, she had become herself and Dante cursed himself for not noticing sooner. He thought he had been helping her, reconcile the two parts of herself but during one of their sessions, Killer Frost had taken over and was a very good actress.

Caitlin was beside herself, an emotional mess, after insisting she listen to what had happened. She couldn't bring herself to face Kara and the man agreed with this privately. He assured Caitlin that Kara understood, that it wasn't a problem.

He knew he was lying as he said it. Kara liked Caitlin Snow.

Kara would always see Killer Frost when she saw her now.

The man had helped Kara, liked to think he had taken two sides of her soul, the peaceful, loving gentle soul and the rage filled soul that thirsted for war and combined the two. He helped her accept both sides of herself.

He knew after he left National City that he was wrong, and he had been following the same path here. If he wasn't careful, Caitlin could be lost permanently, just as Kara had nearly been lost permanently to Supergirl.

Deciding Caitlin had calmed down somewhat, he left, wanting to talk to Kara at Barry's apartment, forgetting that she was at Joe's.

Per his usual habit, when alone, Dante preferred not to use an elevator, always taking the stairs instead. As he opened the door, he was jerked into the stairwell and thrown into a concrete wall.

Before he could move to counterattack a barrel of a handgun that fired plasma bolts hotter than molten lava was pressed against his forehead. There would be no point in attempting to disarm her. Alex knew all their tricks. They had taught them to her.

"Kryptonian weapons are cheating, Alex."

"My Sith master told me there was no cheating in war, only winners and losers." Alex told him, lowering the weapon.

Dante took her in, dressed in the head to toe black she preferred, including her 'leather' jacket which was made of the same material as all her suits, lightweight body armor.

"So, I guess you heard? Did Kara tell you?"

Alex shook her head. "I haven't heard anything from Kara. I'm in control of the Fortress and threats to my family, especially my brother and sister, are reported to me by Kelex. So, I waited till they were gone, helped myself into Barry's place and stole a motorcycle to find you."

"It's not her fault." Dante told her, considering taking the weapon just to let her know the student had not become the master. Of course, Alex was never his student.

"I know it isn't. I blame you. We work on a cure, we developed the dampener, you get her to control her powers if we can't get rid of them and keep her evil side from taking over her Caitlin side. What happened?"

Dante felt embarrassed enough as is and had been thinking of how to explain that to Kara. He should have known Alex would be there.

"I thought with the dampener off, she would have…I made a call and it was the wrong one, okay?"

"Sure, no problem. Just be glad you don't have a giant icicle through your gut and team Flash is still alive. Do whatever you want, but you make sure Killer Frost stays away from Kara if you are going to play games. Keep that dampener on her because if Caitlin does something to hurt someone, she will never forgive herself, even if it isn't her fault. I know a girl like that., don't you?"

Dante felt himself growing angry, despite his face not giving any indication. Unlike the Danvers sisters he and his friends could hide their emotions well.

"You handle the metahuman gene, I handle the training if you can't fix this. Sorry it happened. I don't like it either, but I can't change it now. Anything else you need?"

"Don't talk to me that way!" Alex hissed. "When Kara cut you out of her life, I was the one who went behind her back and told you everything going on with her, wasn't I?"

The man nodded his head. It was true, Alex gave him the only information he had about Kara for those two years. Not even his old team knew much or wouldn't share. He never told anyone, and they never knew the whole story of the rift between them.

"Yes, you did. Neither of us knew the whole story, obviously."

Alex ignored that jibe. "Dante, I could have killed you the second you walked into this stairwell. That's the same thing that can happen if you fall asleep and its not Caitlin next to you."

"You think I don't know that? Damn it, Alex! Its been on my mind all damn day!"

Alex shook her head and looked at the floor. Dante noticed finally that she was very tired and there were tears pooling in her eyes.

"Alex? Hey, have you slept? I know it was scary but she…"

"I'm scared, Dante. I'm finally getting my little sister back, and this red monster and some ring could still be out there, and she was in a room and probably stupid enough to try and fight a woman Caitlin herself calls Killer Frost. I'm tired and I am scared, and I just want her safe. I wish Barry Allen was just some guy who lived in Midvale who she really liked, some guy without powers, without a job in law enforcement, just a normal, everyday guy. She is getting better. She gets out of bed every day and even smiles, she exercises, she isn't fidgeting all the time. She is going to meetings and … I should have just stayed with her this weekend. She wanted me to and..."

"You did the right thing." Dante assured her, pulling her into a hug where Alex broke down on his shoulder. "Its going to be okay, Alex. We will keep her safe, just like always, right?"

Alex nodded her head slightly but held on tighter.

Finally gaining some semblance of control back, she stepped away from him.

"You think I should find her? She is at Joe West's house."

The man told her no.

Barry could handle this. Only Barry, Dante, Kara and Caitlin knew about the Killer Frost episode today and it would stay that way. No reason for the Wests to be uncomfortable as well. Kara was there, she hadn't run back home, and she would be fine. Alex agreed hesitantly and took a taxi back to Barry's apartment, where she would once again, pick the lock and slip back into the Fortress then home.

Barry was not as certain. The night had been great, and he was relieved there was no talk of Supergirl adventures. Most of the talk centered around Barry growing up, which he was both embarrassed about and relieved. Iris showed Kara pictures of him from every age. Kara laughed, she made small talk, she never seemed nervous, or even sad.

But he knew that night that she had not taken her sedative. She may have though she was being sneaky, but he moved fast, too fast for her eyes to see and stood in front of her without her knowing, no lightning, just blending into the surrounding air. She took her antipsychotic and antidepressant but left the sedative bottle untouched.

He lay down next to her and managed to steady his breathing enough, that she must have thought he was asleep. He didn't move while she got dressed and silently exited the apartment.

He followed her from a distance, scared of where she was going and not knowing what to do about it. She was obviously following directions on her phone.

Then she was in front of the bar. Tony's nightclub, though there was no dance floor, just a hole in the wall place that had a very long bar and a few tables. Kara stood outside the entrance and didn't move.

Barry thought of approaching her until his phone buzzed. Not taking his eyes off her from across the street, he answered without noting the caller.

"Don't interfere, Barry."

"Alfred?" the man whispered. Of all the voices he had expected to hear, that was the last one.

"Since she began harming herself at 13, she has had other people protecting her from herself. Her parents and sister stood outside the bathroom, so she wouldn't harm herself, they never left her alone during the day, they checked on her all hours of the night as she slept. She has always had people there to protect her, but this is a fight she must win on her own. No one can do this for her. If you pull her away, what will happen the next time, when there is no one around?"

Barry didn't like this. Alfred was her sponsor and knew more than Barry did about this but still, it didn't sit right.

"And if she goes in?"

"Let her have a drink and then take her home before too much alcohol effects her meds."

"And her sobriety is gone. All the days, all the pins…"

"Why do we fall, Barry?" Alfred cut in. "So, we can learn to get back up again. She may relapse but that is not the end, it is a stumbling block but one that can be overcome. Give her a minute. Don't lose faith."

Barry stayed on the phone with Alfred, neither saying anything for ten minutes, ten of the longest minutes of Barry's life. Kara did not move from her spot, simply staring through the window at the patrons drinking to have fun and those drinking to forget.

The girl finally turned away from the bar and began walking back towards Barry's apartment, head down and hands in her pocket.

"That's my girl." Alfred whispered. "Supergirl may be gone but the heart of steel is still there. I will meet her tomorrow night at her small group just outside of Midvale tomorrow night. I won't say anything about this and you won't either, not to her. Go back home, get in bed and pretend you didn't notice she was gone."

Barry didn't know how he would lay down and try to hide a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Alfred."

Good night, Master Allen. Sleep well."


	30. Chapter 30

Do not own CW or DC characters.

A/N just a note for those who didn't read Survivors, the suit Kara is talking about at the end of the chapter is the long sleeved version of the suit Supergirl wore in Injustice 2. You can check it out on Google images.

 **Chapter 30 Sins of the Father**

It had been four months since Kara's trip to Central City. In that time she had not returned, though she had spoken to Iris on the phone often. She stayed away from the rest of team Flash, besides Barry of course. When medications adjustments were needed her parents worked with Shay while they continued to isolate and destroy the metahuman gene causing Caitlin's powers. Kara did not hold what happened against Caitlin, she understood even. Still, she knew she couldn't trust to be seen in the same room with her. If Killer Frost escaped again, Kara did not know if she could prevent herself from killing the woman and didn't want to be in that position.

She had spoken to Dante once every couple weeks on the phone. Neither he nor Kara ever talked about Caitlin or what had happened by unspoken agreement.

It was also becoming clear that the two were no longer as close as they once were. The two year split had caused them to become different people and while the respect and friendship was still there, they were not what they used to be and both doubted their relationship would ever reach the level of comfort they once shared. Small talk was hard and the conversations increasingly brief. Kara wondered how long until they would stop completely.

Christmas was in a week, her first Christmas sober since she was 17 and other than her dying relationship with Dante, things were going well. Barry had finally returned to his Central City job, though he used the Fortress nearly every night to see her. Things had gotten stronger between them, she believed. The two had grown closer than Kara had ever grown towards someone, outside her family. He still accompanied her to open meetings at times and unbeknownst to her, attended Al Anon meetings himself in Central City on nights he stayed there.

The reason Barry returned to Central City was understandable. He had learned all he could from their DEO friends and needed to work with Bruce, Diana and J'onn. The Arthur Curry guy Kara had never met who Diana coerced into working with them could give Barry more training against metahuman aliens than the DEO could. Barry could return to his real job that he loved, and the League met in various cities to train, to discuss and to strategize. They were gelling into a team and would be much farther along were it not for Barry's job and Kara, but no one would ask him to give up either of those.

Also Atrocitus had not made a move. He could be dead from the wound Diana gave him. According to Barry all the Lanterns besides Stewart were believed to have left the planet or were staying very low. There were no immediate threats that could be justified, and Kara insisted Barry go back to his job. He had stopped his life for her and had to go back.

Jessica also had told Barry in one of their sessions that if he did not, Kara would think she was holding him back once again to protect her.

In December, North Carolina winters were not fierce, but it was cold on the cliff top where Kara and Alex were on the outside, painting the exterior of her house a rich blue with a tone of green called Ocean Side. The house was near completion, with only touchups needed, paint in the rooms. Even the water pipes had been ran, along with a one-mile paved road that led to the nearest highway.

Kara had assured the contractors that she would have the solar panels for the house and the wiring done herself. It had taken her two weeks but at the end, she had an Omegahedron powering the house and the Rann transporter locked away in the secure basement. Having a basement built into a cliff had not been easy, but it was worth the effort.

The two sisters finally met around the front of the house, sprayers in hand and Alex having more paint on her white suit than she seemed to be putting on the exterior walls.

"It's too cold to do this!" she shouted through her mask.

"No it isn't. You just aren't good at it. Stop being a baby. Another twenty minutes and the last coat is done."

Twenty-eight minutes later the two sisters were inside the house. The hardwood floors had been lain but giant drop cloths covered the entire floor.

"I think after New Year, it should be ready to move in. Pretty cool, huh? We moved into the Fortress six years ago around the same time."

Alex almost said something and hesitated. Kara of course caught it.

"What?"

"What? I didn't say anything." Alex weakly tried to deflect.

"Alex."

Alex took off her white suit and began looking around the house. She reached the stairs and hesitated, then turned back to Kara.

"You have three bedrooms. You said they were for when guests want to stay, right?"

Kara grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, mostly Clark though. It's not like I have many friends that live anywhere near. The Justice League is out battling bad guys and I doubt Bruce would stay the night here. That would require sleeping, something we know he hates."

Alex nodded her head, wondering how to approach this. She had been thinking about it for months but knew Kara would take it the wrong way.

"Yeah, see here is the thing. Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't want to live with Mom and Dad. I know we came here after rehab and it's been great having the whole family under one roof…for the most part. But Mom is kind of driving me crazy, just a bit, and Dad keeps talking about work when we are home. I guess I was so used to living in National City that I didn't realize what a pain living with them full time would be. I love them, don't get me wrong. I realize Mom keeps closer watch on you than even Clark, but it hasn't been great for me either."

Kara understood. She had wondered when this would happen. Since she returned to Midvale, she knew that she didn't want to leave but had no intention of living with her parents forever. Her meds had been stabilized for the most part, she had her routines in stone, diet, exercise, meditation, AA meetings, reading and art time. She had her therapy time every week with Leslie over the computer and hour every two weeks with a substance abuse counselor in Raleigh. She knew when Barry would be near except for times he was held up by meta or Justice League matters.

She still hardly ever watched the news and turned off the television if she saw anything about a natural disaster.

She was beginning to see her life and except for a few unknowns, Barry Allen among them, things were looking positive for the first time in a long time.

"So you want to move out. I can understand that. Does Nyssa want you to move in with her? Which city this time? It seems she is a different place every time I talk to her." Kara asked, trying to sound casual and wondering if she would have to talk Nyssa out of moving to Europe and taking her sister with her.

Alex didn't respond to that right away, thinking that was an entirely different subject she wasn't sure she wanted Kara to know about.

Deciding keeping secrets from each other never worked well for either of them, she laid it out.

"When is the last time you spoke to Nyssa?" Alex asked.

Kara thought it over for a moment. It had been some days which was unusual.

"Two weeks, maybe? Wait, when is the last time you saw her?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders and began pacing, something Kara recognized she did when an uncomfortable topic came up.

"Alex?"

Alex stopped pacing and turned to Kara, deciding to lay it out.

"Nyssa and I have gone out, more than a few times. I have kind of held back. I just got out of a very long relationship that didn't end well and I guess the two of us were looking for different things. I was getting to the point where I considered giving it a real shot with her, but then Laurel Lance came into the picture."

Kara nearly growled in frustration. She had not thought of the Arrow and his team in a long time, nor did she care to. After the last time she saw them, when she had gone ballistic, assaulted all of them and burned their lair, the blonde later realized she may have lost her temper a bit. Since then, she left them alone. Nyssa and she had killed Malcolm Merlyn and while she had been damned if she would apologize to Oliver Queen for killing Merlyn, she admitted to herself that breaking his leg, nearly crushing Lance's throat and burning John Diggle's gun and the hand holding it, probably took it too far. Since that night, she ignored the Arrow and the goings on of Star City, despite her warning. Queen wouldn't have stopped any more than she would have if she were in his position, so she let it go. Her business with him was done.

Now Laurel Lance had popped up in their lives.

"I know Laurel Lance isn't gay. What did she do?" Kara asked calmly, thinking Laurel should thank every god known to mankind that she didn't have her powers or a desire to travel to Star City.

"She resurrected Sara Lance."

Kara stood speechless for a moment, not sure how to process that. There was only one way she knew of that could possibly do something like that and her and Nyssa had destroyed it.

They had destroyed theirs.

Talia had one.

"How?" Kara asked hesitantly, closing her eyes.

"She took her sister's decayed body to Talia Al Ghul. She allowed her to place Sara's body in the Lazarus Pit…"

"Oh shit." Kara whispered. "Alex, that pit was to prolong life. If they brought her back from the dead…"

"She could be a possessed monster who would have no idea who she is or what she is doing. Yeah, it happened. Laurel took her to Star City in chains and Sara escaped. Now Laurel has a possessed, resurrected, missing sister and is in debt to the League of Shadows. Nyssa went to help. I…told her it was a good idea and she probably shouldn't come back to see me. I wasn't angry, and she understood I think."

Kara waited a moment taking that in, then sat on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"Why? Why did you tell her that?"

"Why do you think Nyssa would help? She wants Sara back. She is angry Laurel did it, but it is done. She seems to think she knows someone who can restore her soul and wants to get Laurel out of debt with Talia."

Kara thought about this and wondered why the hell Nyssa didn't call her.

But the answer was obvious. There was no way she would drag Kara into this mess.

"You are jealous?"

Alex grinned and copied Kara's position on the floor.

"Maybe a little but that's not why I broke it off. I…I wasn't ready for what she wanted, and I don't want that world again. She is back in it now. Even if she comes away from it, comes back to what we now refer to as reality, it will always be a part of her. It's not a part of me any longer. So I just thought it would be best to end it. I hope she does find Sara, find some way to restore her soul or whatever is going on. I really do. That kind of thing isn't in me anymore though. I want someone…someone who didn't know me when we were battling evil or knows that I can kill someone ten ways using my ring finger. I liked her, but it wouldn't work out in the long term and I am not even thinking about long term right now."

Kara nodded her head, suspecting as much. After the toxic relationship Alex had been in since she was 19, Kara could understand a certain fear of commitment. Cameron and Alex had many problems, and neither was innocent in the disastrous relationship but to Kara it boiled down to one thing. Chase had taken advantage of a 19-year-old girl who needed someone she wouldn't need to keep secrets from. It was why Kara would always blame and hate Cameron Chase. In Kara's mind, it was Chase's fault, no matter what. She would always side with Alex regardless.

"So you don't want to live with our parents and Nyssa and you are on different paths." Kara summed up.

"And I don't want to be alone." Alex admitted quietly. "I'm not ready. I know you wanted this place to yourself and I was afraid if I asked, you would think it's because I think you can't take care of yourself but that's not the reason. If Barry is going to stay in Central City, then I want to stay with you. I need you. I feel better when you are near."

Kara moved over to Alex and took her in her arms. The short haired girl laid her head on Kara's shoulder.

"There are two master's upstairs. Both have their own bathrooms. Why do you think I had two built? I was going to ask you anyway. I feel better with you near too. But I made sure we had our own rooms and bathrooms this time."

"You don't mind?" Alex asked to be sure. She had thought the second large bedroom might be that size for Clark when he stayed and the smaller one for guests.

"Of course not. I hoped you would, but I didn't want to press. We stick together. Always, remember?"

"Always." Alex agreed, relief flooding her. She could be near Kara and get away from her loving parents who were close to suffocating her with attention.

"Can Streaky stay with Mom…"

"Streaky lives here." Kara told her quickly. "Besides, you know you love her."

"She does tend to grow on you." Alex admitted. In truth they had the cat so long she couldn't imagine being without her.

"So, we move after the first. Now we just have to get past Bruce's party tomorrow night. Mom and Dad are coming, right?" Kara asked to be sure. She hadn't been to Gotham or the Batcave in a very long time. Tomorrow night her, Alex and her parents would be entering the Batcave along with Clark who hated the idea of a grown-up Christmas party where he couldn't use his powers.

The event would be held at Wayne Manor, and the guest list was short but exclusive. Only members of the Justice League and those who were friends in the know would be there.

And as Bruce warned Kara, Dick Grayson would be there.

Barry would be by her side and the blonde, or brunette now, knew he and Dick had met before.

It didn't make it feel less awkward. It seemed a life time ago but was less than ten months when she beat the hell out Grayson, nearly killed him and told him she would kill him if she ever saw him again.

There would also be alcohol at the party. Alfred told her she was ready. Life wouldn't stop because she had problems and she understood that. Kara could not stay in hiding forever.

There would also be people, Kara didn't know, and she hated being around people she didn't know. She wouldn't be wearing her glasses, would not hide in Wayne Manor. She never had. But the idea of people she had never met without her mask against the world was frightening. It would only be a few, Arthur Curry and that member of what Kara considered a useless Corp, John Stewart. Who knew who would also be there.

Caitlin Snow and Cisco would be there.

Caitlin would most likely be with Dante, another potentially awkward moment. Kara wondered if she would see the Caitlin Snow from the Block or see Killer Frost every time she looked at the woman now.

Regardless, she had promised Bruce she would show, they all would, and Kara had never broken a promise to Bruce. He was still on his path, she was on a different one, but she would always consider him like an older brother, one who had been there many times during her darker moments. One who had watched her cry in the Batcave at times, for no reason and never offered anything other than the support of just being there.

The guy that built a medical research facility dedicated to helping her if she ever needed it.

This party would just be another step forward for her. Come what may, she would have to deal with it. She had no other choice. She had approached life slowly, still hiding often. That had to end eventually. One day, Kara would have to watch the news, watch hundreds or thousands injured and dead in a disaster and know that in the past, she could have saved many, but the past was gone and only Kara Danvers, human as far as powers went, was left.

So it was, the next night, Barry and Bruce were waiting for her family in the Batcave as they exited the transporter.

Eliza and Jeremiah were smiling, but nervous, never being in the famed underground lair of Batman but more concerned about how Kara would react tonight.

Alex didn't bother hiding her concern for Kara.

Clark was upset that he had to wear a bow tie and tux and get a haircut, leading to a grumpy start to the evening.

Kara kissed Barry and tossed Bruce a blue sweatshirt.

"Merry Christmas, big guy. Something to wear while you work out." she told her friend, who looked as dashing as Barry did, both in their tuxedos. Bruce unfurled the shirt and saw the Supergirl logo with girl power written on top of it. The symbol itself was autographed by Supergirl.

"Kara, I don't know what to say, other than I am glad to see you are still as humble as ever." The man teased.

"Hey, the longer I am gone, the higher the value of my autograph." she told him, taking Barry's hand while her parents greeted the billionaire warmly. The relationship between the elder Danvers and the Dark Knight had come a long way in the past six years. A turning point occurred four years ago when Jeremiah once again asked how he could trust the man around his daughter when he didn't even know who he was. Bruce pulled back his cowl and asked if he could trust him now.

Touched by learning his secret, the two had formed a friendship of a sort that grew over time, culminating in their time together in the Block.

Barry walked over to a console, pulling Kara behind him. When he reached the console he handed her a box wrapped in red.

"I was going to give this to you on Christmas morning but couldn't wait. I finally got the one I wanted."

Kara had gotten Barry a Rolex and a key to her house but left it in Midvale for Christmas morning.

"It's still a few days before Christmas. Are you going to be in Central City? I understand if you are. You had just mentioned that you would be in Midvale, so I didn't bring your gift."

Barry shook his head. "I'm going to be there. I just thought you might like to see it now. I can wait…"

Kara was already unwrapping the present.

What she found took her breath away.

"This is real? I mean like an original? But how?"

"There are still a few around." Barry told her, not mentioning how many hours he spent on eBay.

Kara caressed the box, unopened, that was forty years old, but looked brand knew. Inside would be an untouched Star Wars X wing fighter.

"The decals haven't been put on. Everything in there has never been opened. It's all yours."

"Barry, I don't know what to say." she told him, touched by how well he knew her. This effort and knowing her well enough meant everything to her. Jewelry didn't matter to Kara but things like this did. It may have seemed silly, but they were tokens, little things that he knew her so well, like the first Christmas gift he gave her, the lightning bolt necklace she always wore. Not because it was gold, but because it reminded her of the two of them speeding along on her bike when they first met.

Kara left it safely on the console and took his hand to the elevator, followed by the rest. Once the elevator opened and they stepped out from behind the false fireplace, it was only a few short moments until she was faced with a room full of people.

Those moments were not long enough.

It seemed everything stopped, and all eyes were on her and her family, the second they walked in.

After a few uncomfortable seconds, the chatter started up again and Kara relaxed.

"That wasn't awkward at all. I know I'm a big deal, but they didn't have to stop talking and look at me." Alex joked, causing Kara to grin a bit, despite the sweat forming on her brow.

"They are probably hoping you are unarmed." Kara whispered to her sister, feeling a bit of humor at last. As always, like the first and every day after of school, Alex could help her relax.

Kara was next approached by Alfred who hugged her and assured her that she would be fine, before walking off to check on the other guests. Kara had no doubt he would be keeping a discrete eye on her.

"Could I borrow Kara for a moment, Flash?" a new voice asked from behind, one that the girl was somehow simultaneously sick of and needed desperately. Leslie and Jessica had that in common.

Before getting a response, Kara found herself dragged away from Barry, Bruce and her family. To her distress they all began talking to others while she was stuck in the back with her therapist.

"Merry Christmas, Leslie."

"I'm Jewish. Let's get down to business. This is an opportunity. You took your meds this morning and afternoon, right?"

"Like always." the girl confirmed, a bit irritated by that question being constantly asked of her.

"Good. Now your social skills still suck. What have we talked about? What do you need to do?"

Kara took a deep breath and fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Smile and look people in the eyes."

"And?" Leslie prodded.

"Dial back the arrogance. Its rude, apparently. Don't remind anyone I'm an alien who is smarter than everyone here and that I have fought battles against enemies that would give them nightmares."

"It's a start."

"Do not rely on Barry and Alex to answer questions for me."

"Okay. Keep going."

"Don't be sarcastic, even if someone says something stupid."

"Good girl. Keep those things in mind and you won't be a total social outcast who everybody but Bruce hates being around. You can't hide anymore. You must learn to get along with people. Don't treat them like they are out to hurt your family or Barry. If someone asks about your life, they are trying to get to know you, not figuring out a way to capture and study you or Clark. Most of these people think you just quit the whole Supergirl thing for your own reasons, not that you are an addict. They are going to act normally around you, normally for them regarding drinking. If it becomes too much, Alfred and I will accompany you to Bruce's big hole in the ground. See the tall guy, long hair, gorgeous blue eyes and a body to die for?"

Kara looked across the room, next to bar, and saw who must have been Arthur Curry wearing an incredibly tight t shirt, jeans and a bottle of tequila in his hand.

"God, a year ago I would have gotten drunk and wrecked him." she whispered.

"You and me both, kid." Leslie agreed. "You may be in love, but you aren't blind. Guy doesn't just swim like a fish, he drinks like one too. Keep away from him as much as possible. You can get a contact drunk just from being near him. Go to your boyfriend, say hi to his friends you have been avoiding, don't threaten Caitlin Snow or make Cisco feel like an idiot and let's work on socializing with people. Most importantly, just be nice. Got it?"

Kara nodded her head and made her way to Barry. She reached him at the same time as Dick Grayson.

"Oh…hi Kara. I was just coming to see Barry. I thought you would be with Leslie a bit longer." the man said quietly. "I can go."

Kara shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous Dick. Its…not at all awkward to see you." she lied.

"Absolutely." Barry agreed, offering his hand. "How have you been, Dick?

The man shrugged his shoulders after shaking Barry's hand. "The usual, trying to protect my home and getting my ass kicked quite a bit in the process. How are things going for you two?"

"Couldn't be better." Barry answered. "At least I hope so. Kara, what do you think?"

"That this isn't awkward at all." she repeated, smiling brightly, then shook her head. "I mean things are going great. I'm sorry the last time I saw you, I nearly beat you to death. I overreacted to the situation and may have gotten a bit out of control." she admitted, painfully. She had to be nice though. It was part of therapy and Kara was committed.

Nightwing shook his head and grinned. "You had every right. I don't think I have ever seen you this relaxed and happy. I'm glad for the two of you. I see Selena just walked in. I should probably make sure she doesn't pick pocket anyone. I can't believe Bruce invited her. He may as well have invited Talia and he could have all his bad decisions in one room. Have fun you two."

Kara searched the room for a friendly face to socialize with and seeking out her family. Her father was speaking to who she believed was John Stewart, the man who was part of that worthless, in her mind, Green Lantern Corp. After learning about them and thinking more and more on it, she had come to hate them and hated that Jeremiah was talking to him. She had no doubt her father would be saying harsh things with a smile on his face and didn't know how the Power Ranger would react. Eliza was talking to Caitlin which put her on edge, but at least Caitlin was wearing her dampener around her neck. Dante was avoiding looking in her direction. Clark was with Diana Prince, having puberty crashing down on him at once. The girl suspected his voice would begin cracking before the end of the night. Shay Veritas was here, speaking with J'onn, humorously in his Martian form but wearing a tux instead of armor.

Not sure who to approach first, the smell of alcohol nearly knocked her back and set her mouth watering.

"Twinkle Toes how is it hanging?" Curry asked Barry who was used to his rough sarcasm by this point and knew he meant no harm. He did not like Kara being around a guy who smelled like a bar after closing time, nor was he excited about Kara being around a guy who was six foot six and loaded with muscles, but he was secure in their relationship.

"Kara, this is Arthur Curry, the Aquaman. He talks to fish." Barry offered, dryly.

"I don't talk to fish." Curry denied, fairly certain it was Allen who slipped that bit of falsehood to Lois Lane." I just wanted to say hi to Supergirl."

Curry offered his hand, which enveloped hers.

"Kara, it is an honor to meet you."

"Oh. Thanks?" she responded.

"Thank you. Diana told us what you and your sister did. I don't know if Myriad would have worked on the Atlanteans but I'm half human and I kind of like some of the human race. Being 18...you are the reason I decided to come join this gang of misfits. While you were out saving the world, I was partying and trying to forget my problems. I get that you are tired of it all. Its time for us to step up. I know there was a monster stalking you that Diana may have killed. Don't worry. If I see it, I got a trident ready to plant in its heart." he promised. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Kara doesn't drink." Barry answered immediately. "Thanks for the offer though." he finished, pulling Kara away as gently as he could with his arm around her waist. Kara allowed him with a final smile for Curry that was returned. He seemed sincere and a straight talker, reminding her a bit of Lobo in that way. Kara liked that about Lobo and Curry.

"Sorry about that." Barry whispered.

"I liked him. The smell was tough, but he seemed nice enough besides calling you a name. Was he being mean or is he always like that?"

The Flash shrugged his shoulders. "He is an acquired taste but he means well and was sincere. He loves his sarcasm. You mind if we say hi to Cisco and Caitlin?"

Kara was surprised by the question. They were Barry's friends and he was asking her for permission.

"You don't have to ask me for permission, Barry." she retorted.

"Would you mind coming with me, then?" the man clarified.

"Of course not. Part of my assignment is not threatening Caitlin Snow or being condescending and arrogant towards Ramon. I may as well do my best now. It will take my mind of tequila."

Barry cringed at the though of Kara thinking about alcohol but shouldn't have been surprised with Curry joining them. Alfred had warned him there would be alcohol here and those who didn't know about Kara's problems would not be told.

While Kara and Barry made their way over to Team Flash, Clark was indeed doing his best to impress. At almost twelve years old, he was certain he had never met a woman as beautiful as Diana Prince.

"So Bruce tells me you have a suit at Kara's secret headquarters. Are you planning to take up her mantel one day, or perhaps follow in your parents and sister's footprints and become a great scientist? Or perhaps another field?" she asked.

"What? Oh...oh yeah. I'm going to...one day... I've been practicing a lot, when I can I mean. I'm not allowed...I mean, I'm not really worried about fighting bad guys right now. I, uhm, I am playing baseball this Spring. Dad said he can rig a small crystal...I'm good, even without my powers. I had to give it up for a few years but...can you fly? Would you like to go flying sometime?"

"No," Diana told him, hiding a grin. "I am afraid I can't fly. I can jump very long distances but not fly."

"Maybe you could come to Midvale. We can jump. If you wanted to, I mean. Or I could take you flying? Have you ever flown with J'onn? It's pretty cool."

Diana shook her head. "I should probably stick to jumping right now. Perhaps one day far in the future we will be teammates if you plan to follow in your sisters' path. Oh look, your mother is coming over."

Clark closed his eyes, wishing she wasn't.

"Hi, Diana, right? Its a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Eliza. We didn't get to speak at the Block, but I can't tell you how relieved Kara is, knowing you are looking out for Barry. Clark, let me straighten your tie."

Eliza reached down and adjusted the offending strap while Clark kept his eyes closed.

"Clark was just telling me he planned to follow in his big sisters' formidable footsteps one day."

Eliza reached down once again and brushed a strand of hair that had fallen on his forehead.

"Yes, he says he is, but we will see. He will have to go to college like Kara did. I am not crazy about the idea, but I don't exactly discourage it. We let Clark fly on dark nights over the water before his bedtime, at least in the summers. During the school year his bed time is earlier so by the time he is done with his dinner and his bath, it is pushing it, especially when he plays around with his vegetables instead of eating them."

Clark groaned, looking for any escape and finding none that could be considered graceful.

"Discipline is good." Diana agreed. "My mother made sure I always was in bed at the same time, every night. Although I was annoyed often, there was a safety and warmth, in such a simple loving act."

"I miss putting him to bed at night when he was a baby." Eliza admitted. "I have a rocking chair that's still in his room and held him for an hour even after he went to sleep. Kara usually sang to him while I rocked him. It wasn't that long ago, but he has gotten to be such a big boy. Clark, why don't you go to the buffet and eat? You haven't had dinner yet. Do not just eat the lobster rolls. Make sure you have some green vegetables. I will be checking on you shortly. Who am I kidding? You won't eat anything green unless I watch you. Even as a baby he used to spit out any baby food that contained carrots, or broccoli. It was a pleasure to meet you Diana."

"And you Eliza. You have a fine son. He will no doubt be great at whatever path he chooses. Clark, it was a joy getting to know you. Good luck with baseball this coming season."

Clark simply nodded and turned, walking away quickly, Eliza struggling to keep up.

"Clark? What's wrong? You know you need to eat, or you will start to feel feint. Miss Prince will be here all night. You can talk to her more later." Eliza assured him.

Clark's face was still beet red.

"I think you said everything that needed to be said, Mom." the boy admitted, grabbing a celery stick and seriously considering flying away.

"Are you upset? Did I say something to offend Miss Prince? Let's go to find a mirror. I should have gotten your hair cut shorter, it keeps falling over your forehead. Maybe some hairspray might work on your super mane. C'mon, baby."

While an oblivious Eliza took an embarrassed Clark to the hallway to find a mirror, and Jeremiah had finished telling John Stewart that his entire Corps were worthless cowards, Alex had made her way to Kara and Barry, Leslie in the background but within hearing distance while the couple talked to Barry's friends and Dante.

"Kara, Alex, how have you both been? We were hoping you would visit S.T.A.R more." Caitlin started awkwardly. She knew what had happened, Dante had told her but didn't provide details or let her hear the recording. She also knew she was probably the reason Kara stayed away from S.T.A.R.

"Alex and I have been busy. Our house is nearly complete, and it hasn't been easy. I understand Mom and Dad figured out a way to dampen the metahuman gene for good, but you have refused. Still working on controlling your powers?" Kara asked, trying to not sound accusatory while keeping a large smile on her face.

"Yes." Caitlin admitted. "Dante and Cisco, even Wally, have convinced me that I could do a lot of good with these powers. I'm getting better, remembering things I do while using them and having control over...her. At least Dante says I am."

"Of course." Kara told her. "Cisco, how is your laser rifle working? Killed any metas or aliens with it yet?" she asked pleasantly.

Cisco was surprised by that question right off the bat. A simple how have you been would have been a good conversation starter.

"I'm good. How have you been, Kara?" he decided instead of answering her question. He had no intention of killing anyone but suspected if he told her that, sarcasm was not far off.

"I have been great. Iris has kept me up to date with all the goings on. Sounds like you all have Central City safe. Crime is down to an all time low. Congratulations."

"Thanks." he told her, smiling genuinely. It was true, Wally had come a long way. Barry was around more, and he had gotten better at his own powers. If Caitlin could control hers, the team would be formidable.

"Of course. So big Christmas plans?" she asked.

Both planned to spend the holiday with the Wests and invited Kara, who politely turned them down, thinking of pointing out that Barry would be with her until Alex read her mind and kicked her in the calve muscle from behind, no doubt leaving a bruise. A quick look at Leslie told her it was time to move on. She had pressed her luck to far.

It was after her and Alex walked off, leaving Barry to chat a bit more, that she realized she and Dante had not spoken to each other.

Kara didn't have the energy to care. The night was wearing her out and she wanted to be in her room, or on the sofa with Barry or even in the Fortress right now. A quick hello with Diana turned into small talk, since Kara for some reason, felt comfortable with the woman. Perhaps it was because she had lost her world as well, not being able to return home.

Before the family gathered to leave, Leslie was waiting for her.

"How did I do?"

"You didn't threaten Caitlin or offend anyone else. Still cold and aloof, the social skills of a smart ass eighth grader, but you are getting there. A trip to visit Iris in Central City before the holiday would be good. You can see Joe West and have her for a conversationalist in emergencies. Leave Alex behind. If you want to be part of Barry's life, getting to know Joe West is a must. Has the alcohol been bothering you?"

"J haven't wanted a drink this badly since before I went into DTs."

"Go home, do not linger at the Fortress, take your sedative and go to bed. Tomorrow morning go to a meeting, the lunch time one near Midvale. Have Eliza drive you and wait for you. You did better than I expected tonight. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks."

The rest of the week went by smoothly, Christmas a success. Barry loved his Rolex and Kara loved being in Midvale.

She never did make the trip to see Joe before the holiday but there would be plenty of time later. She felt good, more confident everyday and more at peace. She had a good feeling about the New Year. For once in her life, Kara Danvers felt that everything might be okay.

 **Metropolis, January 2**

It had been months longer than Atrocitus had hoped. The surprise of meeting an old god of Olympus and a sword breaking through his energy shield and being planted in his gut had held up everything. It has taken him two months to recover, nearly dying but having no one he could trust to help him.

So he had waited under the pyramid in Mexico, used the power of his battery to sustain his life until he was strong again, strong enough to form an unseen window to watch Kara Danvers.

She was becoming better, the drugs taming her, the therapy helping her control her legendary temper.

That would not do. The time to act was now.

Now he was strong. he would take out the old god, the Lantern and the Martian. The Flash was a concern, but this close to his battery, Atrocitus knew he could not break his barrier. The Batman was no worry and the Martian could be taken with the fire he breathed. He would be ready, he would invite them. Even if he didn't defeat them. he just had to distract them long enough for them to have a bigger problem, one that only he could lead away from Earth.

First a trip to Metropolis. Her mother had left Kara alone, taking Clark to UNC Raleigh with her father and sister to review tests. Eliza thought giving Kara the opportunity to be alone was a good idea.

She wouldn't have been able to stop the girl regardless.

Atrocitus was now back in Lex Luthor's secure vault. Scientists, including the billionaire, had given up on opening the tomb months back. Luthor was convinced some great power or secret lay in it but was searching for a new source of destructive energy that could possibly open it. He didn't know that Atrocitus was the only source. It had been sealed by Lanterns and only a powerful ring could unleash the monster inside, the one the galaxy talked about in whispers. He had been known by many names since Zor El, rocketed him off Krypton. The Lanterns called him Doomsday. Four Lanterns had died restraining the creature. It was beyond them to kill it, but their will power would have never been enough. It takes a creature of rage to kill one of their own. Atrocitus was not sure he had that level of rage in him any longer, but he had no doubt Kara Zor El's would surface. She would burn Doomsday, burn the Justice League and burn the Lanterns on Earth, Red and Green. Then she would follow him to Oa and burn those bastards too. Perhaps Atrocitus could then find peace, It didn't matter to him what Kara Zor El did afterward.

He reached out and lit the tomb up in a red glow, breaking the energy seal placed on it by the Green Lanterns and bolstered by his own. Purposely letting his energy flow into the room, it would be a matter of time before Luthor's scientist picked up the readings and began work.

For now, it was enough. Atrocitus would return to Mexico and send an invitation to the Justice League that they could not refuse.

Taking to space, no longer in hiding, he landed in front of the Great Pyramid of Calakmul, deep in the jungle of the Yucatan, and walked inside a secret door in the back where his large power battery was stored along with a simple satellite phone. Human technology may have been primitive, but it had its uses. Now he simply had to bait the Justice League. With a little luck, even someone as inept as Luthor could pull this off.

 **Batcave 7 AM**

The Justice League, not already present, had responded to Diana's call immediately. J'onn, Diana and J'onn had already been present, Arthur was coming from the guest house he had been staying at, and Stewart took to space to arrive from Opal City within minutes. Barry had used the transporter in his closet to enter the Batcave, via the Fortress.

Diana waited until everyone was present.

"We have found Atrocitus. A sharp spike of red energy resembling Stewarts ring has appeared over the Great Pyramid in the Yucatan. He isn't hiding." she told the group.

"Its a trap." Batman told them unnecessarily. After months of unsuccessful tracking, he was announcing his presence with a big red neon sign.

"I'll call the Lanterns still on Earth." Stewart suggested. Diana nixed that idea.

"If he gets past us, your Corp may be the only thing standing in his way. Have them on standby. I realize this is a trap, but the area is covered, and Brother Eye can pick nothing up, under the jungle canopy. We all take the transport. I want us to arrive together, a mile away at least. Bruce, J'onn and Stewart, you will approach from the rear. Find a back entrance or have J'onn phase you into one and search for that battery. Destroy it. Once it is gone, he has no chance of leading Kara anywhere."

"Kara?" Stewart asked. "He is going after Supergirl?"

Everyone ignored him, remembering his last reaction and J'onn not having time to rip his memories from him.

"Load into the transport. We need to move. Barry, Arthur and I will engage from the front. Watch out for traps."

"We just lost the main satellites, trying to pick up infrared under the canopy." Alfred told the group. "Apparently red beams fired from the ground have disintegrated them. I don't like this."

"We have no choice. It is a trap, but we have beaten traps before. He has no real idea of how powerful we are." Bruce pointed out, his gut not giving him a good feeling about this but like Diana and J'onn, feeling they have no choice. "Where are the Danvers?"

"At work. Kara is home alone, packing clothes in the Midvale house I believe." Alfred told the team.

The four founding members of the League stared at each other. Curry was also surprised they were worried about Supergirl. It seemed without her powers she would be the last person Atrocitus worried about.

"J'onn." Diana whispered. "A change of plans. You have to go to Raleigh. You are powerful enough to stop whatever he might send for them if he does. It must be his play."

"I can go." Barry immediately offered. He wanted Atrocitus but the idea of Kara or her family being in danger from an unknown terrified him.

Diana rejected the idea. "If Curry and I can't do what needs to be done, you will be the only one fast enough to take him down. J'onn, protect the Danvers. We know Kara will not be harmed but they could be. Do not worry them and stay concealed. The rest of us, load up. We can suit up on the way. I want to be there in two hours or less and it is a long trip. Time to test that transporter on the carrier and hope we aren't turned into dust."

 **Lex Corp- 9:30 AM**

Lex Luthor stood in front of the monitors watching the strongest room anyone on Earth possessed. The walls were four foot of steel, the door, the same, along with an unlocking device that could not be hacked. Only manual rolling on the hatch door could open this room.

No scientists were in the room. The work had stopped months ago, when every power source they had developed, failed to scratch the large crate of an unknown metal.

Now the crate, almost appearing as a large coffin, had begun to move on its own.

"We have done nothing different?" Luthor asked to be sure.

"No sir. The motion sensors went off this morning and we found it shaking. Something is alive in there, something large. We still can't get a reading on it, but the sounds, the growls and what sounds like chains being broken are clear on sonar. Whatever it is, has awoken."

Lex smiled, very happy with this development. Supergirl may have disappeared but he had no doubt she was still on Earth and up to something. There was no way someone with her power and popularity would give it all up and disappear. Waller had been murdered, Eiling disappeared, and Lord was an abject failure, but Lex still carried the torch that would set fire to the alien one day and save the world.

Supergirl had always been a fascination to him. For some reason, he associated her with the scar on his right hand though he had no idea why. He had been attacked on the street by some rival he could never identify, his security team a failure. Supergirl burned people, she didn't stab them. Still the thought that she was somehow involved, that he knew more about her somewhere in his mind was always there. Perhaps whatever this was in the tomb would be the key to drawing her out and finally bringing her to her knees. Perhaps it was a carrier of some alien virus that could affect her. Whatever required this much security was not a typical alien.

His thoughts were cut off when the top of the tomb exploded, a monster the likes which he had never seen, stood up and roared, the sound hurting the ears of those listening through microphones.

"What are you?" Luthor whispered.

The creature was at least seven-foot-tall and had a monstrous appearance, white skin with a tinge of blue, incredibly muscled with long protruding spikes from his shoulders. The rest of him appeared covered in some scaly armor and his eyes showed madness of which Luthor had never seen. The creature's fists had talons, very sharp talons no doubt.

Without hesitating, the creature began striking the walls, the steel cracking, at least two feet breaking without a second strike. He continued this until he saw the door and approached it.

Luthor and his scientists were in a control room right outside the massive door.

"He won't break through." Luthor assured them.

"He has nearly broken through the walls, sir." one of the men in the room responded.

"That door is impossible to break though." Luthor whispered. He was proven wrong a second after he said it, as Doomsday's fist struck, sending the large, steel structure into the hallway.

The creature walked out and spotted the glass covered control room immediately.

Lex heard glass shattering, the screams of others and felt his arm ripped off. The last sight he saw in his life was the face of Doomsday's hand covering his face before his skull was crushed.

 **Midvale**

Kara Danvers was enjoying the silence. For once, Eliza had gone to the lab at UNC Raleigh and taken Clark, with a promise of an action movie afterward. She had left Kara alone and in the girl's mind, that was definite progress. Moving into her own place in a few days, Kara had no doubt Eliza would be over there more than her own home.

The silence was broken by the sound of the house phone. She was surprised, because hardly anyone called that line anymore, preferring cell phones. It was most likely a salesman but, in the event, that her family was somewhere without a signal, they would call her and if she didn't answer, a general alert would be sounded, all parties converging on Kara Danvers to make sure she hadn't backslid on a number of issues.

"Danvers Residence." she answered.

"Turn on the news, Kara Zor El." a deep voice told her, one that she recognized from somewhere in the back of her mind. There was no doubt in her mind. This was Atrocitus. It had to be.

Kara walked towards the remote and clicked the television on with a feeling of dread. What she saw was breaking news.

A monster had escaped from the Lex Corp building and was in the middle of Metropolis, terrorizing citizens. Despite the camera crews running, she could see this creature, unlike any she had ever seen, was literally tearing citizens apart, blood everywhere, screams, panic.

"Do you know what that is? I am sure you have read your father's files, his failed experiments on monsters who could not be controlled. This is one of them, the first of his abominations. A prehistoric monster from Krypton's past, one with the power of regeneration, one that cannot be killed. It is mindless, only bent on destruction after the years of torture your father put it through. Another source of violence, death and destruction from the House of El. How does it feel to see your father's work, killing another planet?"

"The...the Justice..."

"Your precious boyfriend and his friends? They cannot stop a Kryptonian monster. Only you are strong enough. How many are the news reporters saying are dead so far? He will continue to kill. It is all he knows. He cannot be reasoned with, cannot be stopped. Will you let Supergirl stand idly by while thousands, perhaps millions are killed by the House of El?"

The call ended, and Kara continued to watch, frozen in place. She had read Zor El's files. She knew this was one of his creatures, one that not even General Zod wanted.

A little girl was just thrown by the creature. Kara briefly though of calling Alex but dismissed that quickly. She did not want her big sister anywhere near this creature. Kara had to get it out of the city, perhaps in space and fight it there.

But first she needed her powers.

Rushing to the basement, she activated the portal and stepped into the Fortress of Solitude.

Kelex was waiting for her.

"I must receive permission from Alex before I can remove the crystal. I am contacting her now." he told her, anticipating her order.

"We don't have time. She cannot defeat this creature and you know it. Take the crystal out, now!" Kara screamed.

"It is against protocol." Kelex told her once again.

"So is letting me die." Kara remembered, running towards a table near Justin and pulling a knowledge crystal out of his databank.

She took the crystal without hesitation and used the pointed end to cut her wrist, then stuck it deep in the inside of her thigh, cutting her femoral artery.

"I have one minute before I bleed out and you know the only way to save me is taking the crystal out."

Had Kelex been human, he would have been shocked. Kara was bleeding profusely from her left wrist and her blue jean clad left leg was spurting blood. She fell to the floor of the Fortress.

Kelex did as he was programmed to do. He recognized what she had done and was left with no other choice. His primary purpose above all others, was to keep the Danvers alive.

The robot moved to her quickly and used the laser in his optical sensor to cut into her shoulder. The entire procedure took less than twenty seconds. Kara never screamed, even as her shoulder was ripped open and the crystal snapped off her collarbone.

Kelex, seeing that the bleeding had not stopped, ordered the Fortress of be bathed in yellow sunlight and pulled Kara's bloodied clothes from her body.

He worried as he had learned to do, hearing her heart beat slowly but then picked up. Her bleeding stopped, her hair grew longer, blonde and wavy once again and her eyes glowed.

Kara stood up, enjoying the feeling of power coursing through her veins. She moved quickly to the mannequins holding her costumes and shattered the glass, taking the one suit she had never wore.

Within seconds she was dressed in blue and red armor. The shoulders and chest were armored along with the red House of El symbol. Her cape hung freely behind her, red gloves and red boots but the rest of the suit was blue, protected by an exoskeleton like Alex's. Her long-sleeved top shined in the sunlight of the Fortress. This was the suit she had planned to battle Non in. Kara decided against it at the last moment, thinking she would rather beat him in a skirt, but this creature was different. She needed every advantage she could get.

Kara flew out of the Fortress and headed up until she broke atmosphere, then set her sights on Metropolis.

Five minutes later, Doomsday stopped his rampage downtown when a blue armored clad figured landed twenty foot away.

Somewhere deep in back of what was left of his mind, the monster recognized that symbol she wore. The man who had tortured it for so long wore that symbol as well.

No words were needed.

The two stood, for a moment taking each other in, then they charged, striking each other with enough force to shatter the remaining windows out the skyscrapers of downtown Metropolis.

The battle between Supergirl and Doomsday had begun.


	31. Chapter 31

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 31 Monsters**

 **Yucatan Peninsula**

Ten minutes prior, a huge bright circle had appeared over the jungle, a giant black aircraft flying through. Inside the Justice League members let out a collective breath, happy that they had not been disintegrated. Barry Allen sat next to Batman, who was piloting the craft.

"So...it worked." the Flash said, stating the obvious, since they were all still alive. "How far away are we? I can go to the ground and run, scout out the area."

"The team stays together until Diana tells us to split." Bruce told him in an eerily calm and stoic voice. Barry never would have thought that out of the five on the plane, he was the one without superpowers. Of course the armored suit he wore probably gave him as much power as Curry at least, while not bestowing superstrength, definitely surpassing him in weaponry.

"Damn it." Bruce whispered. "There is too much red energy around the area. I have no communications with Alfred. I can't even get a line to Kelex. We are blind to the outside world. He chose his area well."

"So we have no way of communicating with J'onn to make sure the Danvers are safe." Barry surmised, not liking that at all.

"There is no need." Diana told him, walking into the cockpit, armored up and ready for battle, judging by the look on her face. "J'onn has fought for hundreds of years and is very powerful. I have faith that he can defeat any enemies. Alex is, no doubt, always armed. The Danvers will be fine. Bruce, please hover here and let's gather in the main bay to discuss the plan."

Without comment, Batman slowed the large transport to a stop, three hundred feet above the dense jungle.

The two entered the main bay where the Batmobile was parked, along with the armored, small jet, the same one Barry suspected could turn into an ATV and he had used to clear a path into the Myriad base six years before. Curry, John Stewart and Diana were waiting on them.

"Bruce, John, the battery is there, probably deep inside the Pyramid" Diana told them. "It needs to be destroyed. Once it is gone, no matter what, Atrocitus has no means of luring Kara off Earth. Arthur, Barry and I will attack from the front. Can you surmise any positions, Bruce?"

Batman slightly nodded. "I know a large energy source is in the front of the Pyramid, straight ahead, six miles from here. There is an even larger source inside the pyramid. I have no doubt that the battery is protected inside in some way, perhaps trapped passages. I can find my way in. We must assume that Rankorr wasn't Atrocitus's only remaining follower. There could be more around the battery and with him. Once the three of you are off, I will swing far south, and Stewart and I will exit and take care of the battery and any other potential problems."

Stewart wasn't crazy about this idea and spoke up.

"I can't destroy a battery with my ring. Batteries, especially a Red battery are one of the strongest..."

"I will handle the battery." Bruce cut him off. "Follow my lead, do as I say, and everything will be fine."

The Lantern almost laughed. Yes, Bruce Wayne had lots of toys and was an amazing fighter, for a human with no powers. But if there were other Reds inside the pyramid or under it, he would be of no use to Stewart.

"Fine." he agreed, not confident but not feeling like arguing the point. "Let's say we can blow up the Battery. The ring could be anywhere in the world. If you really believe it is going for Supergirl, getting another Red like Gardner to use the battery may be the only way to get her off the planet, before she burns the Earth."

Curry stepped up to the man.

"I understand where you are coming from, but nobody is going to have anything that controls her in some mindless state. We can handle it. If you come back and that battery is not destroyed, I'm going to put a trident through your chest. We understand each other?"

"Stewart" Barry cut in. "Are you one of the Corps or are you one of us? Make up your mind before you become involved. If you are one of us, do as Bruce says. If you aren't, go back to Jordan and hide, or do whatever you guys do while the rest of us protect Earth. Nobody gets that battery and leads her anywhere. She won't take the ring anyway, no matter what. Kara knows what is at stake. What is it going to be? With us, or with them?"

"I told you all already, I am with you. Just pointing out a possible problem. You want the battery gone, me and the billionaire will figure out a way to take it out." he told them.

Stewart had figured out quickly that only Diana really trusted him on this team. To the rest, it seemed like they put up with him because Diana wanted him involved. Once the Guardians learned of his involvement in League missions, such as taking down alien drug and weapons operations, he would have to deal with that fallout but had decided it was worth it. Although he believed they were all too emotionally invested in Supergirl to make a solid strategic decision, if he was ever going to prove himself, he had to go along.

"Bruce, lower us to just over the canopy, and the three of us will approach the main target." Diana told them. "Swing wide to avoid any other possible red energy blasts and do not delay. We will have no communications with each other on the ground. Follow the plan and above all, win. Atrocitus dies today."

Once Bruce had gone to the cockpit with Stewart, Curry, Diana and Barry stood by the unloading ramp. Diana spoke softly to Barry, not in the commanding voice she had just used that reminded him that she was a woman who had trained for a thousand years in battle, but in the softer tone of a friend.

"There is a large clearing in front of the Pyramid. It is closed to the public for renovations, but the area is clear of workers. Either they have taken the day off or Atrocitus has killed them. You must stay back, no matter what, until I give the signal. Stay out of sight, just as we planned. I know you will want to attack, Barry, but we have no idea if you can breach his shields. We get one shot at this. When the time comes, are you sure you can do it?"

"Yes I can." he assured, her, the conviction obvious in his voice. This thing wanted to turn the woman he loved into a monster and use her as a weapon in a war that was none of their concerns. Atrocitus had to die and Barry would be the one to kill him.

 **Raleigh, North Carolina**

The Danvers family, minus Kara who was packing in preparation for her and Alex's move a mile away, were taking Clark on a tour of the underground area of the neuro research department where the X Ray and MRI equipment were kept. All of them were nervous but tried to hide it from each other. Kara had not been left alone in a very long time without one nearby, and while they agreed this was a big step for her, they were all concerned.

"Oh no." Eliza whispered. "They have been powering up the magnets. I can't get signal on my phone. Can any of you?"

Father and daughter both checked, seeing no bars.

"Alex do you have a com?" Jeremiah asked

"No, Kelex usually contacts me by phone. I need to get upstairs and check on her."

"No you don't." a man said, small, older and not recognizable to the Danvers but wearing a lab coat. The figure morphed into J'onn Jonzz.

"J'onn?" Jeremiah realized, making him even more nervous.

Even in his Martian state, they could tell he was worried.

"You all need to get to the Hangar and take the transporter to the Fortress. Stay there, until it is safe."

Jeremiah tensed, looking at his family and knowing Kara was the most vulnerable with Alex and Clark here. He never should have left her alone, Eliza's idea that she needed space and trust shouldn't have swayed him.

"What happened? Where is Kara?" he asked, practically running to the stairwell that would lead to the ground level.

J'onn had no problem keeping up, changing into Henshaw's form. Once he made sure that the Danvers were safely in the Fortress he would be speeding to Metropolis.

"What happened?!" Alex practically shouted.

"The League found Atrocitus in Mexico. He made his whereabouts obvious. I was sent here to protect you in the event he planned to have others take you, and force Kara to take the ring. They couldn't pass up this opportunity and have gone after him. A...a monster has been unleashed in Metropolis. Kara...Kara is fighting it. I don't recognize the species, but it had killed over one hundred people before she arrived."

No one said anything else, not seeing the point until they could be on their way to the Hangar.

They all entered the family SUV with Jeremiah driving and a nervous Clark in the back between J'onn and Alex, considering flying off to help Kara.

Alex contacted Kelex.

"Why the hell did you take the crystal out of her? Or did she do it herself?" Alex shouted into the phone, while pulling up the News reports on her phone.

"She instructed me to take the crystal out to battle the alien in Metropolis. When I refused, she took a crystal from the main console and severed her ulnar and femoral artery. I was forced to take the crystal out to save her life. Afterward, she took the war armor and left. She landed in Metropolis five minutes later. She has been battling the creature for ten minutes in downtown Metropolis."

"Damn it!" was all Alex could think to say. Of course Kara would cut herself and force Kelex to take the crystal out. When Kara wanted something, she usually found a way to get it.

The older sister looked at news reports and her blood ran cold. Though there was no live coverage due to reporters on the ground running for their lives, but there were early shots of the creature. She recognized it.

"Dad? You went over the data of Zor El's science experiments, right?"

"Yeah...please don't tell me one is on Earth? Is it one of the creatures we classified as World Killers?"

"Worse." Alex told him in a shaky voice. "Its the one you called Doomsday. The creature you said had no weakness. He is here. Kara is fighting him."

Jeremiah moaned, and hit the median, passing cars, driving faster than he ever had in his life.

"Doomsday?" Eliza asked, remembering the research both Alex and Jeremiah did on the monsters Zor El created. "I thought you said he couldn't be killed? He was in deep space, contained. There is no way he is here. He couldn't be." she prayed.

"He is. He came out of Lex Corp. Somehow that bastard snuck it past us." Alex told her.

"Or Atrocitus placed it there." Jeremiah suggested, his mind going over every bit of info he had on the nightmare. When the man had studied the files, he wasn't sure if Zor El wasn't a bigger monster than the ones he created for Krypton's so called, greater good.

"J'onn, go. I will make sure they get to the Fortress and be right there." Alex assured him. "This thing can regenerate and on Earth could possibly have heat vision. He doesn't have a mind to use his other powers, but he is practically unkillable."

"Kara can hold him off. She is smart and won't try and take him head on. She will lead him away." J'onn assured her, giving Alex a quick glance and then looking at Clark. She understood. J'onn would be the only one capable of holding Clark back if the boy tried to help Kara. Once they were in the Fortress, J'onn would leave to help. If Clark got involved, a big mess would just become bigger.

"Kelex, get Scarlett ready." Alex ordered.

"There is nothing you can do, Alex. Your most powerful weapons wouldn't make a dent in that creature." J'onn pointed out.

Alex shook her head. "I can distract him. She is on her own. I won't it that happen. Kelex, she has a com?"

"She has it off. I cannot talk to her, only hear her commands. She hasn't said anything, but according to the vital readings of her suit, she is taking tremendous damage and is still locked into combat with the creature."

No one said a word for the rest of the five-minute drive, thankfully devoid of police presence.

It took the three of them two minutes to enter the Hangar and Fortress, J'onn practically pushing Clark who was begging his mother and sister to let him help. Once they were tucked away, Kelex would most likely bathe the Fortress in red light to keep the boy there.

As soon as they were gone, so was J'onn. Alex suited up and entered her craft. It would be a twenty-minute flight but at the rate Kara was going, standing toe to toe with that monster, the fight wouldn't wouldn't last ten.

 **Metropolis**

Kara had faced many nightmares in her young life. She had fought almost every species and never doubted she was more powerful.

This time was different. For every shot she delivered to the creature, he had returned, with more force than even she was capable of. Two very tall buildings were in danger of falling around them, simply from the shockwave of the two colliding.

The creature also had heat vision. She tried to counter with her own but the difference in power was obvious. She couldn't take him down and barely disengaged and moved out of the way before her brain was incinerated.

She was also bleeding. Her eyes were nearly shut and her nose was broken, her jaw cracked.

Yet, she kept attacking. The heroine had to give residents a chance to run and keeping this creature in combat with her was the only chance they had.

Picking herself up from the lobby of a building, she shot forward, hitting Doomsday in the gut, knocking him back. The monster stood quickly, and Kara's heat vision struck him in the chest, finally burning into him. It did not last. He fired a blast of heat vision in response, causing her to move and barely miss the large rays.

Noticing her ankle had also broken at some point, she decided now was the time, if ever.

Over the years, Kara had not only discovered how to replicate red sunlight but yellow as well. The gold surrounding the House of El symbol and the gold bands around her thighs were not there for only fashion purposes.

"Kelex, activate the solar bursts. Give me full power!"

The gold on the suit glowed brighter, the undersides infusing Kara with pure solar energy. She could feel herself healing, her ribs realigning, her jaw straightening and her nose healing, allowing her to breathe easier, as well as her ankle straightening, allowing her to stand without it collapsing.

Unfortunately for her, while the solar rays did their job, Doomsday's chest had already healed from the heat vision blast and he jumped, fist raised, ready to slam her into the pavement where she stood.

Before the creature could land the killing blow to her head, a chain wrapped around its neck, a blade digging in and it was pulled back to the ground. A spike was driven into it's eye as Lobo straddled the creature, trying to find its brain.

Doomsday shrieked in pain and grabbed the Czarnian, tossing him into Kara.

Kara rolled Lobo off her and stood up, keeping her eye on Doomsday and noting the creature had already pulled the spike out of its eye, ripped the blade from its neck and was healed.

"I can do this all day, big boy." Kara told her father's creation. "As long as this planet revolves around the sun, I'm not going anywhere."

Lobo stood up next to her and pulled a handgun from his side, firing a large plasma bolt into the creature, not moving him an inch.

"That's not good." the bounty hunter whispered.

"Lobo this thing can't...it heals faster than either of us. Its stronger than I am. I just have to keep it busy as long as possible while Metropolis evacuates. Get out of here. You can't take it."

Lobo shook his head, not surprised by her response. Kara's first inclination in a tough fight was always to go it alone.

"And let you have all the glory? No way in hell, kid. My face will be on t shirts and posters after this is done. We take this thing together or we fall together. Besides, I am betting we have reinforcements soon. The Greens may stay out of things, but Gardner's Reds can never resist a fight like this."

Almost on cue, Lobo's prediction came through, a giant red circle opening in the sky high above.

Five figures flew out and red rage energy, formed one single beam that burned through Doomsday's back and out his chest.

Kara took a brief look and saw a human in red and black, with four aliens, one a blue skinned female with bones extending from her back as if wings used to be present. Another was humanoid but had a head resembling a goat. A female with blue skin and bright red hair, wearing what amounted to a red one-piece bathing suit and a red clad humanoid, with a horned helmet, also appeared.

"Bleez," Gardner shouted, swooping down from above and landing by Kara and Lobo. "Let's get this ugly bastard in a crossfire. Skallax, Razor, Laira, take flanking positions and give it everything you got."

Kara noted that none of them matched the description Barry had given of Atrocitus and realized these must be the Reds who had defeated him, and Gardner was the one who took leadership. Not sure if she completely trusted them, Lobo obviously did and that was enough for Kara. The girl added her heat vision to Gardner and his teams' red energy blasts, along with Lobo's rifle, keeping Doomsday from moving. They were not burning the creature, but right now, for the first time since the battle had begun, Kara felt they had the upper hand.

 **Yucatan Peninsula**

The trio of the Flash, Diana and Arthur Curry moved through the dense rain forest surroundings carefully, slowly, too slowly for Barry's taste. Atrocitus knew they were coming, so he wondered why they bothered. The demon was waiting for them.

Diana held up a hand, stopping them.

"The ground has been moved in various places. He may have laid mines for us. The weaker we are when we reach him, the better his advantage. He wants to distract us at least, if he cannot kill us." Diana whispered. "Arthur, can you sense any water close by?"

Curry closed his eyes and placed the rod of his trident on the ground.

"There is an underground stream, leading to a natural well flowing near the Pyramid. Want me to bring it up?"

"Yes, all of it, flood the area as much as possible." Diana instructed.

Curry closed his eyes and growled, the trident in his hands glowing.

Barry couldn't believe what happened next. Water geysers shot from the ground, spreading out and moving towards the pyramid, even up small elevations. Curry had brought the water to the surface and was guiding it, spreading it out and clearing a path. Once the water had reached out of his sight Diana placed a hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes, listening.

"Now, Barry. Electrify the water."

Barry vibrated instantly, static electricity surrounding him. Once he had sufficient lightning, the Flash knelt in front of Curry and touched the water, then watched as the lighting flowed along the wet path.

Explosions were set off, as the mines Atrocitus had planted were electrified, triggering them all. Trees were knocked over, leaving a nearly clear path to the Pyramid.

"Stay behind us, stay as hidden as possible and wait for my signal." the woman instructed him, her and Curry taking off at high speed, not jumping but sprinting. Barry held back, not vibrating, annoyed but ready and trying to keep his mind off Kara, and on the mission at hand. Kara was safe, her family was safe. He believed that. He had to.

Batman had glided through the air, landing softly in between the trees, before Stewart had landed. He didn't want Stewart's green glow attracting attention to his flight. Once the Lantern landed beside him, the two moved.

"There is a door to the side of the stairs leading to an underground catacomb." the man told him, the sonar on his lenses and armored helmet telling him all he needed to know about what was inside waiting for him. "I hear two...yes, two figures there moving, pacing. They are most likely Reds. Give me a three-minute head start and then follow me in."

"A head start? You plan to engage them alone?" Stewart asked, disbelieving. The man really was as crazy as he heard.

"I don't expect you to defeat two Red Lanterns. Just keep them busy. That's all you have to do."

Batman was gone without another word.

At two and a half minutes he heard explosions, and thirty seconds later, saw the far side of the Pyramid light up in red.

His three team members had engaged.

John Stewart followed directions, his ring feeling the power of the Reds and their damn battery down the tunnels. He had no doubt he would find them with a dead Batman soon enough.

He did find them, but Batman was nowhere to be seen.

"Veon, Sheeko." he greeted the two, a duo that had been missing and presumed dead since the Sinestro War. He knew that they both wanted Sinestro released from prison on Oa, so they could kill him. If Atrocitus promised them an invasion of the home of the Guardians with Supergirl, it made sense that they would join him.

"It has been a while, Stewart. "the green woman who resembled more of a skeleton than a living being, greeted him. Her appearance and her robes made her appear to be an old crone, but he was not fooled. She was very powerful. The purple, one eyed alien next to her was not bright, still too consumed by rage to offer much in the way of intelligent conversation. Even after the Blood Lake, he had given into his rage at Sinestro too often, allowing the ring to slowly take back over his mind.

"Are you and your Lanterns still watching over the Earth in the event Kara Zor El loses her mind, or perhaps you are truly here to protect the White Martians from her. Pathetic. No matter. Soon she will be ours, where she belongs, and the Green Lanterns here will have no more worries. She has other places we need her to be."

Stewart shrugged his shoulders. If there was any doubt who they were after before in his mind, it was gone now.

"I think we have that base covered. It's a baseball term. Look it up, Hag. I am here for that battery and Atrocitus. Leave now and you may live. Don't and things are going to get ugly."

Sheeko, once a respected Judge of her planet and now a woman hellbent on revenge, no matter the cost, didn't waste time on more chat. Her and Veon unleashed their rage energy towards Stewart, who barely had time to form a shield construct. The blasts sent him back, but he held strong. He could have overpowered either of these on their own but fighting two at once was too much. He had to trust his teammate. All he needed to do was keep them distracted, focusing their energy on him and trying to survive.

In the front of the Pyramid, Atrocitus had smiled and greeted Diana cheerfully.

"You didn't bring your entire team? One Lantern in the back and the two of you. You will not surprise me this time, Old God. Your friend must be an Atlantean. I expected more of a challenge."

"You overestimate yourself." Diana told him.

The monster fired his ring, a powerful blast that was slapped back in his face by Diana's gauntlets. She pulled her sword and charged, Curry taking the right. Atrocitus formed two construct swords and began defending himself, deflecting a trident and a sword. He had worked on his blood magic and knew how to counter the sword of the Amazon effectively.

Diana and Curry were blown back by the man's red shield, a storm of red energy lighting the area up. Diana rolled in front of Curry and protected them with her shield while the man grabbed her sword from the ground. When the storm ended, Curry threw his trident, clipping Atrocitus's ear and sticking deep in a rock of the Pyramid.

The first Red Lantern howled in rage, being even slightly wounded by the Atlantean weapon. As Diana suspected, he lost his cool and unleashed the full power of his ring towards the two.

The Amazon absorbed the energy, though it pushed her back.

"Now Barry!"

Curry, taking her cue, threw her sword wide right of Atrocitus.

The Red Lantern never saw the Flash streak in and catch the sword. His full power on Diana, his shield was easy to break.

Atrocitus looked at his hand when the rage energy flowing into the Amazon stopped.

At least he looked where his right hand once was.

Now it was a stump, the hand and the ring on its finger lying on the ground, his acid blood pouring out.

Barry Allen stood in front of him, sword in hand and grinned before he brought the sword down on the red ring, cutting it in half and then brought it up so quickly, Atrocitus never saw or felt his head being separated from his shoulders by the ancient weapon in the Flash's hand.

The three Justice League members watched in silence as Atrocitus's blood consumed his skin and bones then burned into the ground.

Inside the pyramid, John Stewart had been backed into a wall. He was being attacked from both the right and left and it took all his will power to keep his construct up. If it failed, he was dead. Luckily, if there was one thing that made a great Green Lantern, it was will power and John Stewart was one of the strongest in the Corps. Once he made his mind up, nothing could stop him, a trait that had led him underground in Mexico, taking on two of the strongest Red Lanterns in the Universe.

The attack stopped, just before his shield was inches from his face. Looking, he saw that the heads of his enemies had dropped, cut off from behind while they had used all their energy on him and none to cover their backs. The bodies hit the ground and a figure shrouded in black stood tall, katana in hand.

"All the weapons you have, and you go with a Japanese sword?" Stewart asked. "How the hell did you get past them?"

"A group I trained with once was called the League of Shadows. They had that name for a reason. We have two minutes to get out of here before the battery goes up."

"I thought you needed me to figure out a way to destroy the battery?"

"I needed you for a distraction. I placed a bomb made of a small Omegahedron and blue dwarf star matter inside the charging port."

"You idiot! It could have gone off the second you placed it there!" Stewart shouted.

"It was worth the risk. It won't matter if we don't get out of here." Batman told him and ran, Stewart trying to keep up.

"That explosion could wipe out miles, including this structure!"

"I was never a fan of pyramids." he countered.

The two reached outside and too Stewart's surprise, the sound of battle were gone. Either Atrocitus killed his new teammates or they had won and killed him, something several Green and Red Lanterns had died trying to do.

The transport flew overhead, and Bruce fired a grappling hood into the open loading bay, moving as quickly upward as Stewart could fly.

Right after they had entered, Curry and Diana landed inside, Curry holding Barry by the shoulders. Bruce did not bother going to the cockpit, instead using the remote on his wrist to send the craft speeding off, causing everyone to stumble and nearly fall out of the bay.

The door closed, and they rushed to the cockpit, Bruce taking the controls and reaching five hundred miles an hour in ten seconds.

Even with the distance covered, the explosion shocked them all. The noise was deafening, and the shockwave made the transport tremble. Bruce banked to the left and made a wide circle.

What used to be the Great Pyramid of the Yucatan Peninsula was a now a deep crater in the ground, the dense jungle that had surrounded it for miles flattened, trees that were not burned were uprooted and toppled.

"We just destroyed a major historic landmark." Stewart whispered in shock.

"They got more pyramids." Curry pointed out. "We won. Besides there is no one around. We can just blame the Green Lanterns if you assholes ever show your faces."

Barry tried to wait patiently for the aircraft to clear the area, but his patience was at an end. As if Bruce was reading his mind, the man contacted Alfred.

"Bruce," Alfred started, never a good sign. Alfred insisted on propriety. If he left off the title, things had gotten bad while they were out of contact." I've been trying to contact you for the last hour. You and your team need to get to Metropolis, now."

"Are the Danvers okay?" Barry asked into the com. "Kara is safe?"

"The Danvers are in the Fortress. Kara is fighting some sort of monster in downtown Metropolis. It doesn't seem to have a weakness. Others have joined the fight, but they are all down except for Kara and Alex. Alex is in the air, trying to provide support but none of her weapons are having an effect. Only Kara has enough power to battle it and she has been constantly beaten. Metropolis is trying to evacuate but there are too many citizens in a panic."

"Copy." Batman told him calmly, feeling anything but calm inside. "We are eight minutes away from the nearest jump point and can exit twenty miles away. That means fourteen minutes. Have my jet ready over the shipyard."

Barry felt as if he had ice in his veins. How had Kara gotten her powers? She probably cut the crystal out herself. Now she was fighting a monster that was stronger than she was. He didn't know what help she had but if they were all down, including J'onn, it had to be unlike anything this planet had ever seen. The Flash knew the only creatures even capable of making Kara bleed were White Martians and a race she had ran off from Earth called the Vrangs. Even those races were weaker and much slower than she was and only touched her when she was drunk. She had to be sober now and was still taking a beating.

"Damn it." Diana whispered. "He never planned to go after the Danvers. This was his play all along. Draw us away, cut off communications and unleash a killing machine on Metropolis. Whatever power you have in reserve, use it now. If she can't beat it...she will either die or accept something that will allow her too."

 **Metropolis**

Kara's earlier good feeling was gone. Lobo had been struck by the creature's fist in the chest. Doomsday had punched straight through his body and the man lay dead for the moment until his heart could regenerate.

The Red Lanterns were all on the ground. Doomsday had unleashed his heat vision, taking them all out. Kara could hear their heartbeats, she thought, but all were unconscious at least.

She had also just frozen J'onn. The Martian had foolishly stood in front of her to absorb a heat vision blast. This heat vision was strong enough to catch the Martian on fire. Before he could burn to nothing, Kara covered him and unleashed her freeze breath, stopping the burning, saving his life but essentially freezing him. Until he thawed, he was out of the battle.

Only her and Alex remained, Alex in the sky, making wide circles and strafing the creature. When it turned its attention to her older sister, Kara attacked, using heat vision and brute strength before it could retaliate against Alex.

Even with this strategy, Alex had barely missed being taken out three times.

Kara begged her to back off and Alex would, only to attack from another direction.

Supergirl attacked once again, deciding to try and twist the creatures head off, hoping that two more didn't pop up due to regeneration. She didn't know if she had the strength but was certain she could not stop him with heat vision.

Doomsday ignored Alex's attack this time, grabbing Kara by the neck before she reached its head.

The monster hit her in the face and continued punching her, then slammed her into the ground. A foot stomped her chest, cracking the House of El symbol, shattering the armor over her chest. Grabbing her by the foot, he lifted her up and slammed her back down once more. Kara tried to stand up, delirious but her fighting instincts kicking in. A foot to her ribs sent her flying back into a pile of concrete, steel and glass that used to be a high-rise apartment building.

She tried to open her eyes, having difficulty. They were swelling she knew, she had blood pouring out of her mouth and the pain in her abdomen and difficulty breathing told her ribs were shattered and she was bleeding internally.

Kara had never taken this much damage. Her fight with Astra, as brutal as it had been, had never taken this much out of her. She thought her leg may be broke but that was lost in the bundle of other pains she felt. Her head was foggy, she couldn't think straight, couldn't talk to Alex, couldn't tell her to run.

Kara knew she was dying. The only choice she had left was to stand up, to try and continue to fight until the creature finished her off. In the back of her mind, she briefly thought of the beautiful house, her dream home she had just finished. She thought of Barry and his laughter, her and Alex on their beach, flying with Clark over the waves, her mother and father's hugs.

None of that mattered now. She knew she was dying. It was only a matter of time. She just had to make sure Alex got away.

Forcing herself to stand with a scream, she nearly fell once again but her leg, fractured at the fibula managed to hold her up.

"C'mon! Finish me! Do it!" she shouted.

Despite knowing this was the end, she was not angry or frightened, only determined and resigned. It made sense to her. She had escaped death on Krypton only to be killed by one of her father's creations. She had to distract it long enough for Alex to realize it was hopeless and wait for reinforcements, whoever they may be.

Doomsday instinctively knew that the blonde Kryptonian was done. He felt an annoying slight pain from above and turned towards it, determined to finish it off.

A blast of heat vision lit up the sky, following Alex this time. She couldn't rise fast enough, and the back of her beloved aircraft was gone, struck in the tail.

As he was programmed, Kelex had been monitoring the situation from the Fortress. When the aircraft was struck, he activated the ejection, separating the small cockpit and the nose in front of it from the wide wings that nearly circled the jet. The escape pod Alex now found herself in was not very maneuverable, but she managed to land hard sliding into rubble at high speed, while the main body of the craft exploded in the air.

Through Kara's blurred vision and rapidly swelling eyes, she only saw the explosion, never witnessing Alex breaking off from the aircraft and crash landing.

Kara had just seen her sister die. Her Alex was gone.

The resignation of death disappeared. The determination, the thoughts of those she would leave behind gone.

All she felt was rage. Alex was gone.

Kara's world lit up in red.

A ring was before her, a red ring and nothing else. The entire world disappeared except for this ring.

Somewhere in her mind, a voice was telling her not to do it. But that voice was drowned out by one thought. The girl who had shown her kindness, saved her, held her, stood by her no matter what, shared secrets with her, had just died before her eyes.

The ring was talking to her.

"You have great rage, Kara. You belong with us. Your sister dead, friends, innocents, all will die because you are too weak. Give in. You know you belong. You are a Red Lantern. Take the ring and unleash your hatred."

The idea of a ring taking over her vision, speaking to her as if it was a sentient being, did not seem strange. Kara had no room for thoughts on what was strange at that moment. All she knew was she wanted revenge, she wanted to kill and to do that, she needed power. The rage in her mind and heart were overpowering everything else.

She remembered the men who had their guns aimed toward Jeremiah and Eliza, while Clark cried, Henshaw telling her that she belonged to him, that he would take her family and kill them if she didn't do as he said.

Kara remembered every time she was ever called a whore, an arsonist in school, every time Alex was called a bitch for standing up for her. She remembered Lex Luther saying she was an idiot who would belong to him. Kara remembered Astra and Non. She remembered her father, not even saying goodbye on the runway, Jor El, telling her she was just a tool, the feeling she had when Kelex informed her Barry had been hurt in the particle accelerator explosion, and later learning Harrison Wells had killed his mother. The hatred she felt at herself for standing by and allowing Zoom to kill his father, nearly kill Barry.

Then she focused on what she had just seen, a monster, her father's creation had killed her Alex.

All these thoughts and memories ran through her head in seconds.

"You belong with us, Kara. Say it. Take the oath and the power is yours."

Kara reached out for the ring and it slipped on her hand easily, fitting as if it were made for her and her alone. She knew the oath. She had known for a while but didn't remember where she had heard it.

"With blood and rage of crimson red, ripped from a corpse so freshly dead, together with our hellish hate, we will burn you all, that is your fate."

Kara felt her blood turn to fire, her heart stopped beating and a surge of power she had never felt before burst through her body. A fire burned her mind and Kara Danvers was lost to the blood lust inside her.

Doomsday stopped his run towards the girl, blown back by a bright red light. The creature hell bent on destruction planned to finish the alpha predator he had been fighting and move on to the next, killing, destroying, doing what he had been created to do.

Instead of the nearly dead girl who had been his target, a red and black clad blonde appeared, floating in the sky, her eyes red, flames flickering from them. Her injuries were healed, her clothes different, her smell different.

Now the formerly blue clad enemy was decked in black and red armor, a strange symbol on her chest, no longer the one he hated, and her blood red cape billowed behind her. The creature was confused. This was not his target but a new one.

It didn't matter. Doomsday sought out the strongest opponents and the power emanating from this one was almost intoxicating to the creature.

Doomsday was incapable of feeling fear. If he had been, the monster would have run.

Kara was also incapable of fear now, only seeing the abomination in front of her that she knew had taken everything from her. She didn't know her own name, her memories were gone, but her instincts were intact.

The blonde struck the creature with her right hand where the ring resided, hard enough to cave in the right side of his skull. Doomsday was thrown back. The monster stood, looking for his target again, his head already healing. His target was stalking him, walking slowly towards him. He didn't smell fear.

Doomsday unleashed his heat vision, only to have it deflected by a small hand back into its eyes. The creature stumbled back in pain, the vision in its left eye gone. Trying to track its prey, it saw a flash of red and black and felt a hand enter its stomach followed by a burning he had never felt before.

Kara screamed, unleashing her rage though her ring inside the creature. Her mouth was inches from the monster's face and unleashed a fiery blast of ruined blood onto its face, followed by heat vision, stronger than Supergirl had ever had. Doomsday felt its eyes go, the molten liquid burning its head away. The burning light inside it was spreading, destroying it from the inside with the power of Kara Danvers rage.

What remained of the body dropped to the ground. Kara removed her right hand from Doomsday but continued to expel her fire from her mouth and eyes. Doomsdays remains lit up in red and exploded, disappearing, disintegrating, until there was nothing left., not even scraps of bone.

Kara stood over the spot her enemy had once been. Her breathing was rapid, and she had no target. Her enemy was gone.

The power she radiated was so strong the Red Lanterns awoke, and slowly stood, their rings being energized from her presence alone.

Guy Gardner looked at her. It was obvious who this had been. The outfit she wore was the same as the armored blue she had on before but black and red, the symbol of their Corp prominent on her chest.

"Oh shit." he whispered and motioned for the other Lanterns to stay down, to not appear threatening until he could figure out a way to contain her, to form a tube to Ysmault and drown her in the Blood Lake.

Kara noted the Reds around her had awoken but paid them no mind. She recognized, even in her mindless state that they were hers. She was more powerful, and they would not challenge her. She slowly turned, looking for enemies, looking for anyone or thing to unleash her hate on.

This is how the Justice League found her a minute later, Bruce landing nearby, Barry having jumped from the transport and ran down one of the few remaining buildings, and Diana and Arthur landing next to her. Stewart stayed in the sky.

He wasn't high enough. Kara felt the green energy and looked up, finding him quickly. Rather than flying, she sent a burst of heat vision Stewart foolishly tried to block with a construct. It burned through it easily and went through his shoulder, sending him falling to the ground.

Diana thought of approaching her. She had no idea how to contain a Red Lantern, she only knew how to kill them and that was not an option in her mind.

The Amazon heard a moan from behind and glanced quickly.

Alex Danvers was stuck in an escape pod and trying to get out. The woman moved quickly to her, away from Kara. Pulling off the canopy with ease, she unbuckled the straps and helped her stand. Alex had a huge gash on her forehead, but it was not deep. It was possible she had a concussion.

"Kara?" Alex asked, not quite sure where she was yet but knowing Kara had been in trouble.

Diana looked over and saw she had Kara's attention.

"This is not good." the Amazon whispered. "Kara, listen to me. Try to think. Remember who you are." she shouted.

Kara did not remember. She was only driven by instincts and rage. The two were strong in her mind now. Instinctively she knew the short haired brunette was hers and she was injured. The new Red Lantern saw a woman standing over her, obviously meaning to hurt her. Those were the only reasons she needed to raise her right hand and send an incredible burst of energy towards the armored woman.

Diana had a split second to raise her gauntlets, the force of the blast sending her back. She tried to plant her feet, but the energy kept coming, sending her back, her boots digging up pavement in the streets.

Kara stopped, believing she had killed the woman. No power could stand up to her. The girl moved in front of Alex, taking a protective stance, her growls warning those away.

Bruce watched all this in shock, almost paralyzing him. His worst fear had come true. Atrocitus may have been dead but in a way, he still succeeded. Kara's eyes were orbs of fire, red energy bleeding off her.

"Barry, talk to her. You might be able to get through to her." Bruce suggested.

"He won't." Gardner told them, finally standing and inching closer toward the place where Kara stood guard over the woman she knew was hers. "The only way she will get her mind back is by taking her to Ysmault. We have to restrain her somehow. That's not Kara Danvers right now."

"Then why is she protecting her sister?" Batman countered. "Barry, you can do this."

Barry knew he could. Up to this point he wasn't sure what to do. She had just sent Diana flying away with ease. If not for protecting Alex, Barry had no doubt she could have killed the woman. Diana had once quipped that only a god could kill another god but right now Kara looked like a goddess of death and destruction.

Instead of running towards her, Barry pulled back his mask and slowly approached her. He had gotten within ten feet of Kara when the heat became too much to bare.

"Kara? Its me, Barry. I need you to calm down. Everyone is safe now. You saved everyone. Its okay now. You did it. Do you know who I am? Do you remember me?"

The blonde stared at him for a moment, her eyes turning bright blue, something Barry considered a win, even if the rest of her was coiled and prepared to kill.

"Barry? Help me." Kara moaned.

Gardner and the rest of the Reds heard her.

"She talked." Bleez whispered. "That's never happened before. A new Red doesn't talk."

Gardner was shocked as well. She was protecting her sister and she recognized and spoke to the man in front of her. Maybe Kara Danvers was closer to the surface than he thought.

"I will help you, Kara. Look, Alex is right behind you and she is okay. The monster is dead. You can relax now. Can you do that for me? Can you relax, and we can go see Clark?"

"Barry...I can't...control...I'm sorry."

"Its okay. I will help you. Just take deep breaths and keep looking at me. Alex is about to take your hand, okay?"

Gardner and the rest of the people watched in fascination. Gardner knew this shouldn't be possible. She shouldn't be able to talk. Perhaps they could get her to willingly go to Ysmault.

His good feeling was shattered when a green circle appeared in the sky.

"This is not good. They can't be here." he whispered to Batman. Gardner took off, hoping to get to whatever Green was coming out to leave. He was certain Stewart was alive, despite lying in a pile of rubble with a hole through his shoulder but she had attacked him on instinct. The last thing they needed were more Greens setting her off.

He was too late. Jordan, Rayner and Cruz exited the portal and sent blasts towards the girl, constructs designed to hold her.

They should have known better.

Kara's attention was taken away from Barry when the green blasts hit her in the head.

She showed no effect from it, other than her eyes turning red once more. The girl launched so fast the boom sent Barry to the ground and Alex rolling back.

Kara attacked Hal Jordan, grabbing him by the throat and sending him to the ground. Had his ring not protected him, the force of impact would have shattered every bone in his body.

Crus and Rayner foolishly tried to fly away. Rayner's right hand was burned, her heat vision breaking the barrier with ease and striking the green ring. The power ring was knocked off and the man began falling. Jessica Cruz dove for him, catching him before he hit the ground and covering them both in her green shield. Unfortunately for her, Kara broke through the shield with heat vision hitting her lower back, sending both crashing to the ground next to Jordan.

The blonde landed near them and walked forward slowly, taking in her prey, deciding which to kill first.

Barry moved in front of her quickly, trying to talk to her but she walked past him as if he wasn't there. As she reached for an injured Hal Jordan on the ground, a glowing lasso wrapped around her.

Kara turned and saw Diana holding the rope that bound her. Grabbing the rope, the Kryptonian pulled the Amazon toward her, hitting her in the face when Diana was in striking distance.

Diana held on to the rope and was pulled to Kara once more. She knew Kara was preparing to hit her with heat vision or the ring and Diana had serious doubts whether she could survive. Making a last-ditch effort, Diana channeled all her power into the lasso.

"Who are you?" she asked loudly, trying to bring Kara back. If she could only get her to talk again, perhaps they could bring her back.

Instead of getting an answer, Diana found herself in a different place.

It looked like hell, only rock, darkness, except what was lit by raging fires. The heat was real, the ground beneath her feet solid and the smell was horrid.

Had she been transported somewhere? Was this the underworld and she was dead?

Diana heard a whimper behind her. She saw in the light of the fires surrounding them a small blonde girl curled into a corner.

The woman approached her slowly. The child was obviously frightened by her surroundings.

Kneeling in front of the little girl, Diana brushed her blonde hair away from her face, revealing a set of the bluest eyes.

"Who are you?' she asked again, knowing the answer.

"Kara." the girl whispered. "I'm scared."

"I know you are." Diana told her soothingly. She had only been transported to another's mind once when Ares had done it to her. Now it appeared her command to speak to Kara had been obeyed. She was inside the girl's mind. "I need you to come with me. I want to take you out of this place. You have people who love you that want to see you."

The girl shook her head.

"I can't. The monster won't let me. I can't stop her." the girl told her in a quiet, frightened voice.

"Yes, you can. She won't hurt you, I promise. There is no monster. You only think there is."

Kara shook her head and buried her face in her arms.

"Her name is Kara Zor El. There is only one way to stop her. You have to kill her. You have to use your sword and kill her. Its the only way. You have to."


	32. Chapter 32

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 32 Blood**

Diana took in the little girl before her, gently taking her hands away from her face.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked.

The girl nodded slightly but wouldn't look at her.

"You are the lady with the magic sword. She can't stop magic. You can kill her, you have to. She is stronger. She used to let me out, but she never will again. The ring told me so. I don't want to live here, so you have to kill her."

Diana smiled softly at the child. "If I kill her, I kill you, and ..."

"I don't care! I don't want to be here anymore! I've tried to escape before, but she always wins! Always!" Kara shouted, finally raising her voice and no longer sounding frightened but desperate.

"I do care. I have beaten monsters before and so have you. We can do this together and we will survive. Take my hand and we are gong to leave this place."

The little blonde shook her head. "I can't take your hand. She broke my finger and it really hurts. I can't get it back to wear it needs to be. It won't fix itself. She likes when I'm in pain. Every time she gets mad she hurts me. She burns me and cuts me, and I want it to end. The cuts just sting but I can't take the burns anymore, I just can't. I don't want to hurt anymore. I tried to end it once, she let me have control and I tried to kill her but...somebody saved her. They never should have."

Diana gently grabbed her forearm, Kara jerking suddenly but calming down, trying to relax but not completely able to. The Amazon looked at the little girl's hand and saw one of her fingers, the finger the Red Ring resided on in the physical world was twisted, snapped and swollen.

"I'm going to set this for you and the pain will lessen. It will be over in a second. Do you mind?"

The little girl shrugged.

"It doesn't matter anymore." she told her, resignation in her voice.

Despite the resignation, Kara did scream, when Diana popped her finger back in place.

"Have you hurt yourself anywhere else?"

The blonde's face clouded with anger, different from the anger Kara showed the world, less intense, but anger all the same.

"I told you, she hurts me! I don't want to! I would never do this to myself!"

Diana placed a gentle hand on the back of the girl's neck.

"There is no monster, Kara. She is just a different part of you, one you have been controlling recently. You have been managing well, doing better, but she will always be a part of you, one that you can control. Do you know what happened? What just happened? Do you remember taking the ring?"

A tear leaked from the girl's eye as she held her still fractured but straight finger. She shook her head quickly.

"Are you sure? The monster became stronger, didn't she? That is your anger, Kara, and something took over you that has made it almost impossible for you to reach us, but you did. A few minutes ago, you recognized Barry. Do you remember that? You remember me, and I know you remember him. He wants you to come back."

Kara shook her head quickly.

"Alex is dead. I don't want to go back."

"Alex isn't dead. She is okay..."

"I saw her! She died! Its my fault! Its always been my fault!"

"She isn't dead, I promise." Diana spoke over the little girl's loud voice. "I would not lie to you. She is slightly injured but will heal. You need to follow me. We need to find a way out of this place you are in. We must beat the monster and go to Alex. You want to be with her, right? You want to make sure she is safe? If you do, we have to find a way out of here."

Kara shook her head. "I told you she won't let me. She is angry. I've never seen her this angry. If I try to stop her she will hurt me. She won't kill me. She never lets that happen, she just likes to hurt me. I hate her."

Diana decided this was getting her nowhere.

"There is no monster, Kara. This is your head. I asked you who you were, and I was brought here. Am I going to have to carry you? I see passages, but we can be lost if you don't show me the way."

"The way where?!"

"The way to the monster you think is there. We are going to beat her. You will see there is nothing to be afraid of."

Diana picked Kara up and walked towards three tunnels at the far end of the hellish room. The smell was still horrid, and Diana finally recognized it from the battlefields of the Great War. It was the smell of burnt flesh.

"Which way, Kara? I am an Amazon and a god. You are brave and strong. You will see we can beat whatever this is. Show me the way and do not lie."

Kara hesitantly pointed in the direction of the middle tunnel. Diana walked without delay, the girl held in one arm and shield in her other hand.

The quiet was disturbing, the flickering of flames were no longer present, just complete darkness that Diana blindly walk through. After what must have been a few minutes, though she had no real way to judge time here, Diana saw a dim light ahead. The light grew brighter and finally opened into a circular room, made of the rock the first room was sculpted out of. Instead of flames, torches hung on the wall.

Also on the wall was who she believed was Hank Henshaw, though his face was nearly burned beyond recognition. He hung from chains on his wrists, his arms obviously broken and legs useless, not even moving. She suspected they were crushed. He had thin bleeding lacerations across of his torso.

"That's Hank Henshaw. He is the reason the monster was born. I couldn't control her after that. He is the reason she hurts me." Kara whispered.

Diana looked around and saw in the dim light there were bodies everywhere, hanging from the walls, various injuries inflicted.

"Do you see what she does?" Kara whispered.

"Who are the rest of these people?" Diana asked. Some she recognized, Luthor, nailed to the wall by spikes through his hands, two men who were light blue robes with the crest of the House of El on them. A dark-haired woman with a streak of white wearing a Kryptonian symbol on a black body suit. Her neck was twisted and lay on her shoulder.

Many of them were in pain except for this woman, who was obviously dead.

"They all hate me. She hates them. We both do. Because of them, she hurts me." the little blonde girl whispered.

Diana circled the great room, taking in all the bodies, some alive and moaning and others very, very dead.

Then she reached two teenagers, one male missing his eyes and a blonde girl with her mouth sewn shut.

"Aaron and Becky. Aaron watched me all the time in school. I heard him telling his friends what he wanted to do to me. He stared at me all the time. I could never say anything. If I did Alex would fight or Dad would get really mad. So I listened. He told his friends he did things with me. He lied about me and people started believing him."

Kara jumped down from Diana's arm and approached the boy. To the Amazon's distress, the little girl's eyes began to glow, followed by several slaps to the boy's face.

"I always wanted him to hurt, but I never could do it. That's Becky. She never shut her mouth. She hated me and Alex, said things about us that were not true. I threatened to burn her house while she slept, and she stopped for a while, but then she started again our sophomore year. She died in a car wreck when she was 18. She was drunk and drove off a bridge. I wish I had been the one to kill her. She got off easy."

"Eobard Thawne is there." Kara told her, pointing up, making Diana realize this room had a very tall ceiling and the bodies went very high. "Zoom is next to him. Malcolm Merlyn is across from them over there."

Diana was beginning to realize that Kara had shown her the way to the monster. This was where the monster lived and the little girl in front of her was growing, growing taller, angrier. There was no monster. Kara separated herself in her mind because she had to for her own good, but they were one and the same.

A teenage Kara turned towards her now, a red ring on her right hand, clad in black and red.

"Look at the fourth row up, to your left. Do you recognize her?"

Diana felt a chill. For the first time since she entered Kara's mind, the temperature was not hot but freezing now. The room lit up, more torches coming to life and Diana saw herself, wearing a blue dress, one of her favorites. She suddenly remembered she had worn it to the lecture once that Kara was in, when she first met the girl. This Diana hung from chains as the rest, and her face was nearly unrecognizable through the bruises and swelling.

"Why?" she whispered.

"Why? Where is a better question! Where were you? You came to National City to see how I was coping? I was 19! How did you think I was coping? Where were you? You knew who I was, what I was doing. I had help from humans and you, this so-called god of the Amazons sat in your damn museum, deciding mankind wasn't worth your time?! You lied to me about who you were, and then you went back to your very nice apartment in Paris and did nothing! My sister helped me! Bruce helped me! Nightwing helped me! They are human, and they helped me! Barry lost his mother but when he got his powers he still helped everyone he could! J'onn lost his family, his entire race and still helped others! You? You did nothing! You wallowed in your self-pity because you lost your boyfriend a hundred years ago. I lost everything! I kept fighting and you were nowhere! That little ignorant brat you just saw may be too scared to tell you, but I'm not. You are as useless as the Lanterns. I'm going to kill them all too. But first I'm going to kill her."

Kara pointed to a blonde girl with glasses, hanging next to Diana. This girl was burned all over, cut in places that weren't burned, her bones in her fingers, twisted.

"Once she is dead I will be free. Free to do what I was meant to do, to burn this universe! No more guilt, no more thinking, or trying to be good, trying to be some perfect hero, the perfect daughter everyone feels sorry for who can't take care of herself. All I will do is be what I was meant to do. I am so close. Sweet Kara Danvers is almost dead. Are you going to finally step up and save her or did you just stop by from Paris to see how she was doing? You are a coward, Amazon. You couldn't save her then and you think you can now?"

Diana shook her head, doing her best not to be rattled by what she was seeing and hearing. The time for self-reflection was later. Too much was at stake. Antiope told her time and time again that a battle would never be fair.

"You are right, Kara. I should have been there, but I wasn't. I am here now though, and I will not let you kill that part of you"

"That girl is nearly dead. Little Kara isn't coming back. Shy, meek, sad Kara isn't coming back. Your only chance to save them is too use your sword and kill me. Its the only way to stop me. Kill me, or I will kill everyone. There is no other choice."

Diana took a deep breath, even if she knew this wasn't really air she was breathing and nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

"You are right, Kara. I will use my sword. I have all the answers I need now."

Diana's vision changed, and she was back in Metropolis, her lasso wrapped around Kara's waist, but the girl's arms were free. She had her mouth open, a red aura inside it, along with her burning red eyes.

The woman pulled her sword from her back. Instead of holding onto the handle, she allowed the tip of the blade to go level with the back of her head. Grabbing the blade with her hand she swung with all her strength, the hilt of the blade striking Kara on the side of the head, causing her fiery breath and heat vision to go into the ground, rather than Diana's face.

Unwrapping the lasso, the Amazon raised her boot and kicked, sending Kara flying back. The girl still landed on her feet, but the distance gained was enough to give Diana a chance to jump back far away, giving her space and placing her within speaking distance to Barry, Bruce and Gardner.

"Bruce, clear everyone from the area, make sure any cameras watching us are shut down. Barry, get Alex out of here along with the Lanterns and J'onn. Curry, rescue trapped civilians. Gardner, if I can hold her, can you form some tube to get us to this blood lake?"

"Yeah, but you can't hold her."

"Not what I asked. When I have her, wrap us in whatever energy field can hold us and get us there."

"You won't be able to breathe on Ysmault." he argued.

"I can walk through a village of mustard gas. I can handle whatever atmosphere is there. You may lead the Reds but today you will do as I say. Take your Reds away but watch. You will know when the time is right."

Barry looked at Kara, slowly walking towards her prey with a look that gave him chills. He didn't like the idea of leaving her but getting Alex to safety before Kara accidentally killed her was important. If Alex was dead there would be no bringing her back, blood lake or not.

"Diana. you aren't powerful enough to stop her." Bruce said, trying to talk her out of this plan.

"I am the God Killer. You have never seen how powerful I truly am. Now go!"

To her relief, they all did as she said. The battlefield was clearing thanks to Barry. He even managed to lift the large Czarnian. She would have been impressed if not for the more pressing issue at hand.

Kara growled and sent a wide blast of her liquid fire from her mouth. Rather than blocking, Diana moved easily out of the way. The girl charged, flying just above the ground, her ring sending a solid beam of energy right towards her.

Diana crossed her gauntlets and screamed, the energy stopping before it hit her along with Kara who froze in midair. Diana uncrossed her arms and the girl and flew back.

The second Kara was on the ground, Diana was on top of her, her gauntlets glowing red and fists breaking through Kara's red aura field as if it weren't there.

Diana barely missed a counterpunch, but the movement gave Kara a chance to strike her in the chest with heat vision blowing her back. The Amazon hit the ground on her feet and charge once again. Before Kara could open her mouth, Diana struck with her sword once again, striking the side of her head with the flat side, dipping her towards the ground. She followed up with her shield, catching Kara's chin, causing her to stumble back.

The Kryptonian recovered almost immediately, hitting Diana in the chest, knocking her down.

The demigod rolled off her back and stood up. Her chest felt like someone had reached through her armor and ripped her heart out.

Kara was weary now of her opponent. This woman should have died a dozen times by now, but the blonde monster filled with rage saw she was still alive. Kara had felt pain, and this was not supposed to be possible. She was rage and power and unstoppable. She was the alpha predator on this planet. Everyone was weaker than she was.

She also looked around and saw the human who she knew was hers, was no longer there.

She unleashed her power once again, heat vision, fiery breath and the ring. Diana raised her shield, but the immense power sent her flying back into a building's remains, nearly knocking her out. She had not fought as strong an opponent since Ares and he was nothing compared to Kara.

The blasts stopped, her shield so hot it was painful to hold. A final burst from the ring, this one weaker was deflected by her gauntlet, slapped into Kara's face, causing the girl to howl in rage. Diana took a chance and moved closely, striking with all her power and sending the Red Lantern flying backward, digging up the ground where she slid.

Blood dropped on the ground in front of the Amazon. She was bleeding from her nose, the strain, the strikes, she wasn't sure of the last time, but it had been a very long while since Diana bled. For the first time she had doubts whether she could pull this off.

The demigoddess had never felt as tired and in as much pain as she did now.

Antiope's voice came to her, as it often did. You are stronger than you believe, you have greater powers than you know.

Stop doubting yourself.

The woman shook her head to clear it and thought.

Every time Kara uses all her power at once, she takes a moment to recover. She can't fight in this state, only swing wildly, believing anything she touches will be destroyed.

Diana knew that Kara Danvers was an exceptional warrior, knew more forms of hand to hand combat than Diana, but that was Kara Danvers. Kara Danvers was smart in a fight, constantly running through hundreds of scenarios in seconds, looking for an opponent's weakness and exploiting it, always looking for her opening to kill and she always succeeded.

But this was not Kara Danvers. This girl was all strength and no brains. Diana may not match her in physical strength, but she had her training, her mind and knew how to look for weaknesses as well.

"C'mon, Kara Danvers. Is that the best you have? You are weak. You are nothing."

Somewhere in who used to be Kara Danvers, the Red Lantern recognized that she was being taunted. The girl unleashed her power once more.

Rather than deflecting it, Diana took to the sky, hovering over the blasts that wanted to incinerate her, seemingly standing on air. As she had Kara's attention, the blonde took to the sky towards her and Diana met her on the way down, swinging the broadside of the sword into her temple and sending her crashing back to the ground.

Those that had left the fight to Diana watched, Barry finding it hard to not step in and Alex hoping her vision cleared enough to see the fight.

"Don't become involved." Bruce told them. "Diana doesn't need the distraction. We have to trust her."

"She is trying to kill my sister!" Alex told him.

"No, she isn't and won't." Barry assure her. "Every time she has struck with her sword it has been with the hilt or the flat side of the blade. She is trying to knock..."

Barry stopped talking when he saw Diana hover over the ground, avoiding Kara's blast and floating until meeting Kara in mid air and knocking her to the ground.

"Did you know she could fly?" the Flash asked Batman.

The Dark Knight shook his head. "At this point, nothing about her surprises me anymore."

Stewart walked, or limped towards the three.

"If our Corp and the Reds engage at the same time, we could end this, restrain her. Diana doesn't have a chance defeating her."

"Kara went through your Corp in seconds and the Reds were smart enough to not try." Batman told him. "They are following her lead. Besides, you have a hole in your shoulder and the other three are still unconscious. I doubt you will be any good. Diana is our leader, if she says stay out of it we will follow her wishes. Don't underestimate her. I have seen Kara fight many times and that isn't Kara out there. Diana will defeat her."

On the field of battle the two engaged in close combat, only this time instead of using raw power, Diana was ducking, dodging, striking when she had an opening and using her footwork to keep the girl off balance.

The more frustrated Kara became, the angrier she became.

The Amazon recognized when red glowed from Kara's mouth a burst would follow a half second later. Luckily for her, a half second was all she needed to avoid whatever this lava Kara was breathing. She remembered Gardner telling her about the horrors of the ring, how it took over the heart, sent energy where there once had been blood and the disturbing fact that they could vomit their ruined, acidic blood. This was more like fire though, with much more distance than she would have believed.

But Kara had to be tired. After single handedly destroying that creature, burning the Green Lanterns and fighting with her for the past twenty or so minutes, there had to be an end. Diana just had to make sure she was standing at the end and Kara wasn't.

A wild punch was easily avoided, and the demigoddess slipped from behind her, taking her lasso and rapping it around Kara's head, blocking her eyes and mouth, hoping the lasso would hold up and not be burned off.

Kara reacted as she suspected, sending her heat vision and fire breath into the lasso that held. The pain of having it so closely deflected back at her, stunned her for a moment, allowing Diana to grab her by the waist and flip her back, head first into the ground with Diana under her.

The two flipped back and Diana continued her onslaught, for the first time noticing that Kara was breathing heavy. Perhaps she was getting tired. Using as much energy as she had been using today could not be sustained forever.

That optimistic thought was cut off when a blast from the Red Ring struck her in the head, dropping her to the ground. Reacting on instinct, Diana turned her body and swept Kara's leg, with a follow up kick to her chest sending her to the ground.

Rather than attacking right away, the Amazon allowed her to stand. Her strikes were vicious and fast, all power no technique, but they were slowing.

"You are getting weak! I thought you would burn the Universe! Fight harder!"

The red beast recognize once again that she was being taunted. Instead of a growl, she unleashed a roar, shaking the debris around them. She continued to swing at the armored woman, who moved at incredible speed, staying close and dodging everything that was thrown at her.

On Kara's last miss, she felt her opponent's fist connect with her chin, stunning her for a moment. Her vision blacked out for a split second and when she regained it, she saw a sword hilt swinging toward her, striking her just behind the ear and sending her to the ground again.

This time, Kara was not as quick to get up. As soon as she was on her hands and knees, Diana kicked her under the chin and struck the back of her head.

Picking up her up from behind by her hair Diana wrapped her lasso around Kara's eyes and mouth once again than continued tying herself to the back of the stunned girl.

The Amazon decided this was her best chance. Kara may be slowing down, but Diana eventually would too.

"Gardner, now!" the woman shouted.

The Reds flew in quickly from the rooftops that were still standing. Bleez concentrated on Ysmault, using her ring to open a tube, a portal to another galaxy and planet. It was a skill that only the most skilled and powerful Lanterns could do with ease, but all had the ability.

Gardner and his three friends fired, wrapping a large bubble of red energy around the two and lifted, throwing Diana and Kara through the tube onto a beach, thousands of light years away.

Diana did not have time to realize the hell that this planet resembled. She only saw a red lake in front of her and hoped it wasn't made of the same acid blood that Kara and the rest of the Reds spewed. It didn't matter. She had gotten Kara this far. It was true what the blonde said in her mind. Diana had left her to fend for herself once. She wouldn't leave her again.

"Unwrap the rope! We have to push her in!" Gardner shouted.

"We both go in. I'm not letting her go. She is still struggling. Do what needs to be done, now!"

Gardner shook his head and looked at this other Lanterns. More Reds who had been traveling other sectors of the universe and returned, walked out of the cavernous residences and recognized what was happening. A new Red had arrived and this one was very, very strong.

"I have a bad feeling about this." the man mumbled, then looked towards his Lanterns, 14 on the planet now and all unleashed the power of their rings at the two women who were bound together by a magical lasso, the armored one holding the Red from behind.

The energy was enough, striking both women painfully and sending them far into the Blood Lake. The area they landed could be seen from shore, but it was deep enough.

Neither of the women rose.

Gardner sat on the shore, Bleez sitting next to him.

"How long do you think it will be?" she asked the man.

Gardner shrugged his shoulders. "Guess it depends on how much anger. Could be five minutes, could be days."

"And the woman with her? Will she survive?"

"I have no idea." he admitted. "But she did just go toe to toe with the most powerful Red Lantern in history and restrained her long enough to get her here. I wouldn't doubt her. She was shouting at me when we arrived, so I guess the atmosphere doesn't bother her. I don't think she is human. I thought maybe some magical sorceress thing when I first met her, but now I don't think so. She is something more. She'll survive. They both will. I just hope when they rise, Kara can gain some semblance of control over the ring. She protected her sister, she recognized her boyfriend, she talked...she is under there."

Bleez shook her head. Once the girl truly grasped what she was and always would be, she would most likely rather be dead. There were many times Bleez wished she had died rather than live like this.

"She is one of us now. We will help her." The woman assured him.

Gardner shrugged his shoulders.

"I just don't want to let her down like the Greens did. We will do what is necessary. We have never really talked about it, but since Atrocitus is dead, maybe its time for a new mission. We need to find a blue ring and someone to wear it. If we can't, we need to help them figure out another way."

"No one has ever taken the ring off and lived. The Ring will not allow itself to be removed." Bleez pointed out.

"That's why I said we need to figure out a way. Some of us maybe deserve this, but she doesn't. We are going to find a way."

 **Metropolis**

Alex took Bruce's com and called her Father at the Fortress.

"Are you okay?" was his first question.

"Hi Dad, I'm fine. May have a slight concussion and a pretty bad cut on my forehead but it won't need stitches...were you watching? Kara is gone. They took her." Alex asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.

Her father wasn't fooled in the least.

"I know Alex, but we will get her back. She isn't dead. That Diana woman, she is a good woman, she will bring her back." he assured her, not sure himself but needing to comfort her somehow. Clark was a mess, and they hadn't even tried to stop him from watching the fight because it would do no good. He would have found a way and now was curled far away against a large crystal, crying.

He also had Eliza to worry about, his mind on Alex's possible injuries and the fact that he had just seen Kara turn into someone he didn't recognize, breathing fire and rampaging and then being beaten and taken to another world, a place he had no idea how to get to.

If she hadn't accepted the ring, she would have died.

"Is Mom okay?" Alex asked, fighting back tears.

Jeremiah looked at the slab where Eliza lay, being monitored by Kelex.

"When we got here, Kelex hijacked the S.T.A.R. Labs satellite. We saw the fight, probably for ten minutes before you and J'onn got there. She saw Kara, saw her bleed. She had a panic attack, a bad one. She has been unconscious for about an hour, but her vitals are good. It would be good if you could be here when she wakes up. The four of us being together would be good. We can't help Kara now. We have no choice but to trust Diana."

Alex shook her head. It wasn't that she didn't trust Diana, but Kara was hers and Kara was in pain, on an alien world, surrounded by possible enemies with no idea about how to get back here. If she destroyed them all and flew off she could be lost in space, especially if the ring was clouding her judgement and mind.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I can't...I'm going after her. I'll find a way."

Jeremiah was not surprised, even expecting this, the moment he saw Diana and Kara tossed into whatever portal that was. This would cause greater worry if possible for Eliza and Clark but just like when the Black Mercy had struck, Alex had gone after her, telling Kelex she either came back with Kara or not at all.

"You want to use the escape pod? I'll go with you. You aren't going alone."

Alex was about to respond when a large hand took the com out of her ear.

"Jeremiah." a deep voice growled. "This is Lobo. My ship is nearly here. Her and Stick are going with me. I know the way and I give you my word, I will have her back to you. Take care of my girlfriend and your boy."

Jeremiah felt a mixture of worry and relief. Lobo was many things, most of them bad, but one thing the father knew was that the Czarnian was absolutely dedicated to his daughters. Lobo was the first one to show up and help Kara, and could have been killed, knew it, and did it anyway.

"Thank you, Lobo." the man told him gratefully.

"Never thank me, Jeremiah. I have to get my ship ready. I know of a way that can get us there in hours instead of a month, but I need to move quick. Here is Alex."

While Alex talked to her father and eventually Clark, who she managed to settle some, Barry approached the large Czarnian.

"You can really get us there in hours?"

"I'm not in the business of bullshit, Flash. I'm not leaving the fate of my girl to anyone but us. I don't think they would do anything untoward, but we take care of our own, ourselves, right? I have a call to make. The Rann transporters would require multiple jumps and take months to get to. Ysmault is a very long ways off. Hardly anyone goes there except Reds. I do have a guy in Detroit who owes me a big favor. He is from Earth but spends a lot of time on Rann and has something called a Zeta Beam, an advanced transporter that can get us there very quickly. Let me work and try and get J'onn somewhere. He isn't healing like I did. He needs to go to that fancy Block."

Lobo's ship landed, and the man walked inside without delay. Barry put his arm around a distraught Alex, who was barely holding it together as Batman was wiping blood off her face and checking her pupils for signs of a concussion.

"We will get to her, Alex." Barry assured her. "She will be okay. Kara has gone through a lot and always..."

"Been damaged after every hit, damaged in a way she has a hard time coming back from if she did at all. Things were going so well. She was happy, Barry! She really was and now this! I just need to get her home, we need to get her to the Fortress, so we can begin figuring out how to get this ring off her without killing her. There has to be a way to reverse the biological effects and we will find it. I need to check on J'onn before we leave. He is awake."

Alex made her way over to the Martian. His body still had some ice on it but the damage to his torso was significant, the burned skin covered most of his torso. Still he was awake.

"Hey there Big Green." Alex greeted him, kneeling beside the Martian.

"There is my favorite agent who never follows orders. You have blood on your face."

"And you have a giant crater in your chest. Once you are thawed out can you heal?"

The Martian tried to laugh but it came out as more of a wheeze and he grimaced from pain. J'onn had never been struck with any kind of blast that had that much power.

"Kara was close to death. I didn't have a choice. It would have finished her. If I die, I die. I told you, you girls and Clark always come first. Alex...what happened?"

"Kara is alive. She defeated...she thought I was killed, I got shot from the sky and she apparently didn't see me eject. She..."

"She took the ring. Where is she?"

"Ysmault. Diana is with her. Barry and I are going soon. We will bring her back. You need to get better. I'm not sure if you are going to the Block or the Fortress but either way, Mom and Dad will be there so try and be a good patient, okay?"

J'onn nodded his head and fell back asleep, whispering for Alex to go get her as he did.

Batman watched everything, trying to prioritize. He scanned the area with his visor and couldn't see any trapped civilians, only dead ones. Stewart was trying to wake up the other three Lanterns and a part of Bruce hoped they were all severely injured.

Curry approached him, having completed the task that was mot prevalent on Bruce's mind.

"Where is he?" Bruce asked.

"I worked my way through a lot of debris. Best I can tell, him and his lab boys were torn to pieces. I found his head, but anything we had planned for Luthor is done. He kept that bastard hidden until he escaped. Man, I can't believe we got fooled like that."

Bruce shook his head. "We did what we had to do. Atrocitus had to die. If he hadn't, if he kept that battery, Kara could be anywhere right now, following him around the universe like a dog. We were outplayed but it could have been worse. She will be back, and we will figure this ring thing out. The Reds know something and if I have to kill them one by one until someone talks, then I will. Soon the police will be here, rescue workers, probably the National Guard. I don't want you involved with them. Stay with J'onn. I'm going to Ysmault. J'onn is out, Stewart is injured, and I still don't trust him, and Barry is joining us. I don't know how long we will be, but you are protecting this world now. If the worst happens and you need help, contact Dick Grayson. Don't be afraid to ask for help. He is recruiting a team as well. They are all new but can help. Keep an eye on J'onn and be careful, Arthur."

The Aquaman assured him he would. "I got you Bruce. Bring home our girl. This world will be the same as you left it, I promise."

"I know it will." Bruce told him. "Because I trust you."

 **Ysmault**

Kara had no idea where she was or what had happened. Flashes of memories were flickering through her mind, but the main part of her brain was trying to deal with the sensations she felt. She was full, much like the time she was trapped underwater and drowned, her body filling with liquid.

This was not water though. She had no idea what it was. The smell was horrible, yet she couldn't make herself move. She couldn't concentrate, her mind threatening to skip into darkness repeatedly. She felt arms around her, she felt as if she were tied up. These arms were different than Alex's arms, stronger, longer.

The girl tried once again to remember what had gotten her here, wherever here was but nothing made sense. She finally gave into the darkness only to find herself in a chamber of horrors she had dreamed about often. Her personal prison.

Waiting for her was Kara Danvers, alien hiding behind a fake smile and eye glasses.

"We need to have a talk."

"A talk about what? Am I dead? Am I finally dead?" she asked, partly sad and a larger part of her feeling great relief.

"We aren't dead, we aren't alive. We are who we are, but we are greater now. Let's talk about using your head. We must learn to control the rage, or the rage will control us. Nobody will control us any longer. No more excuses. Rage makes us strong, but it also makes us stupid. We were beaten by someone weaker than us. Remember who you are, what we are, what we have gone through. Remember it all. Then we will talk about what we are going to do next. Not everyone on this wall is dead."

Kara shook her head. "I don't want to kill anyone else."

The other Kara, the meek one, moved over to her quickly and slapped her face hard turning the girl's head.

"Weakness. Weakness has made us a victim. We won't be victims any longer. I won't allow it. Now relive it. Relive everything and learn from it."

Kara felt as if she were thrown from the room, then found herself on a very comfortable bed. She was a young girl. She was sweating, delusional but one thing was certain, the man by the side of her bed, was Non.

He told her he would rip her intestines out.

Instead of fear, Kara smiled and reached out. Her small hands found his throat and she began to squeeze. She was strong than him. She did not stop until he was dead on the floor. She opened a drawer in a nightstand she had never noticed before and found a blade. Kara smiled at the dead body and began her true work. When she was discovered, she would deal with anyone else who came.

While Kara was reliving her worst moments, trying to merge who she was and who she is now, Diana lay closely, wrapped around her in darkness. The Amazon kept her eyes and mouth closed. As she suspected, she did not need to breathe. She could tell Kara had relaxed and knew that if she let her go, Kara would stay submerged until she was ready to rise.

Yet the woman stayed, thinking of all the things that had gotten her to this point, everything that had happened since she left Themyscira. The woman had lived a long time but often she didn't feel like it. She felt the first thousand years of her life never really let her grow. She grew as a warrior in practice but had always been a princess, living the life of pampering her mother insisted she have. Everyday was beautiful, the weather perfect, her people kind, her dreams of battle, just that, dreams.

Diana didn't grow up until she came to London and then Belgium. She had seen how horrible it was, and after her mission of defeating Ares was over, without Steve, she wanted nothing to do with Mankind, living among them but never a part of them.

Diana and Kara were both faced with the same choice Steve had. When you see something wrong you can either do something or nothing.

Diana had seen many wrongs since the war but had done nothing.

She swore to herself in the lake of foul blood that she would never do nothing again, never fail another person like she thought she failed Kara and Alex. Bruce may have encouraged them, but he was at least there.

So Diana stayed in the lake of blood, holding her and vowing to herself that she would never let her down again, even if it meant staying in this hellish place.

As Diana was reflecting and Kara was going through a hell in her own mind, fighting her way back to the surface, Alex, Batman and Barry were leaving Detroit in a space ship, having just acquired something called a Zeta Beam, that Lobo had installed in front of his large craft. The man he got it from was named Adam Strange, just a normal looking guy in old jeans, a red hoodie, an old coat and a Detroit Tigers hat on. He had met Lobo outside the city and handed him the device without question, even helping the Bounty Hunter install it.

Now for the first time in his life, Barry was in space, in an actual spaceship, about to be transported across the universe.

What should have been an exciting event was ruined by the worry on his mind and in his heart. Alex had occasionally broken out in tears, Batman comforting her while the Dark Knight remained unphased for the most part, making Barry wonder if Batman did this stuff all the time.

Unable to sit still any longer, he unbuckled and moved from the bay they were in to the cockpit, hoping the view of space and the streaks of stars they passed would help take his mind off the anxiety that made him sick to his stomach.

Lobo didn't acknowledge him when he sat down on a seat beside him. The large alien was too busy making adjustments of some sort.

"You might want to sit in the back and buckle up when we make the jump." Lobo finally told him. "I figure five minutes to jump and an hour after that. I've never actually used this Zeta tech before. Its more complicated than Rann transporters but Strange loves his gadget so he would make sure I got it back to him. There aren't many of these in the Universe. I have no idea how bad the turbulence is going to be."

"Got it." Barry assured him. "So will we have to stay on the ship when we get there?"

Lobo shook his head. "I got some indestructible suits, breathers that can take the gases you breathe and change their molecular structures into oxygen. You can walk around but it would be best to stay in the ship until Kara is up. Gotta be honest with you man, I got know idea how long that could be. She could be waiting for us or under for a month or so."

"Doesn't matter." Barry assured him. "I'll stay as long as it takes."

"I know. Its why I brought you."

Barry thought for a moment, wondering if it was his business. Everything he had heard about Lobo gave him mixed feelings. The man was a bounty hunter, assassin, feared everywhere, only out for himself, except when it came to Kara and Alex. Lobo had said once that he followed Kara because she kicked his ass. There had to be more to it than that.

"I heard you were the first one to help Kara fight that monster."

The big man shrugged his massive shoulders. "Lot of good I did. Got my ass handed to me. Maybe I should have gotten madder, made that ring come to me and I could have destroyed it. I've been looking for that tiny ring and Atrocitus since I found out about all this stuff. I didn't find him obviously. I haven't done a damn thing right."

"You stood up" Barry pointed out. "You tried. Can I ask you...why are you so loyal to Kara and Alex? I get that Kara almost killed you once and you respect her, but it seems deeper than that."

Lobo looked at him and grinned. "Finally getting jealous over her, huh? Its about time you recognized how hot of a catch I am."

Barry continued looking at him, until Lobo took a deep breath and looked back at the stars.

"You gotta lot of friends, Barry?"

The question caught him off guard for a moment. Did he? Of course he did. He had Wally, Cisco, Caitlin. He had his new friends in the Justice League, Alex, even the guys at the DEO.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"I don't. I have Kara and Alex. This whole universe is scared of me or hates me or both. Kara and Alex Danvers are the first people in this whole damn universe in my very long life that have treated me like I am somebody worth knowing. They treat me like a friend, they hang out when I am on the planet, not just when they need things from me. When I need help with something on Earth, they have always been there, always. Don't tell Jeremiah but I did get those two girls to go on a Dolphin watching tour with me. I hired a guide and we stole Bruce's yacht. You know why I killed Damian Darhk?"

Barry had honestly forgotten that Lobo had.

"That man had black magic. I had my own magic, but Kara didn't. He might have harmed her, so I took him out of the equation. That's what friends do for each other. They are my only friends. Alright Stick, that's as mushy as I am going to get, take your ass in the back and buckle everybody in. I got some thrilling heroics to perform."

Despite a rough jump, as Barry surmised it was called, the rest of the trip was fast and smooth. Alex had moved to the cockpit, no longer content to stay in the backs. Her forehead was blue, and a thin laceration ran from it but was no longer bleeding.

"We are here!" Barry heard Alex shout from the front. Him and Bruce entered the cockpit and the sight nearly took Barry's breath away.

He was looking at an alien planet, something he never dreamed he would see in his life.

"Okay everybody." Lobo told them. "Hold onto something. Its time to get our girl."


	33. Chapter 33

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 33 Aftermath**

Kara woke from a nightmare. She couldn't remember which one, or if it was a new one, perhaps a mix of all her recurring ones. The girl didn't bother trying to remember, instead reaching for the bottle of Jack Daniels beside her bed. Tonight, or this morning, considering it was 3 AM, she was wearing a red bracelet. The bracelets always irritated her, made her feel like she was in a cuff of some sort. She much preferred the red-light bulbs, but tonight was a spur of the moment thing so rather than change the bulbs, she slipped on whatever was closest.

Slipping out of bed, she didn't bother dressing, walking to her bathroom and planning on getting back in bed shortly after.

Once inside, she looked in the mirror, not happy with what she saw. Her hair was a mess, her eyes tired and her expression angry and ashamed.

A figure that resembled her, wearing a black jacket and red body suit with high black boots, stood behind her.

"This was a fun night, wasn't it?" she whispered. "You did some new tricks. All the exercise that boy did, and he could hardly walk when you were done with him. At least you made his trip worth it. The things you said, the things you did, you are a lot better than a common whore, but you are still a whore. What would your mothers think if they could see you now?"

Kara shook her head, doing her best not to listen. She had been reliving her past for what seemed like days or years and for all she knew, it was could be seconds or centuries. A part of her was beginning to believe she was dead despite what her other self said. Kara thought this might be her own hell, designed with her in mind. She had not relived any of the happy moments her family had given her. She relived the worst. Sometimes she killed the ones that angered her, killed in ways that would sicken the Joker. In others she had just relived the moment and tried to bear it. This was one of those moments.

Walking back into the bedroom, she moved to Dick's side of her bed.

"Get up." she told him.

The man opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"I'm not sure how much more I can take, but I am game..."

"Get out, now." she told him coldly.

Dick closed his eyes, not surprised but disappointed. This was not even close to the first time Kara had kicked him out for no apparent reason after sex.

"Its 3 AM. Can I at least sleep on the couch?" he hoped, knowing the answer. Kara had been different tonight, wilder, even a bit out of control. They had never been this intense together and while he had no idea why, he wasn't complaining. He should have seen this coming.

"Get. Out. Now."

Dick rolled out of bed, not bothering to argue. He took his time getting dressed, trying to keep his eyes off her state of undress and grabbed his bag. An attempt to kiss her was met with her hand in his face and a look that indicated she was out of patience. Grayson dutifully left, wondering how long it would be before he was allowed in her presence again and why the hell he put up with her crap.

Kara locked the door behind him and went back to her bathroom, looking once again at the mirror.

"Out of control." her constant companion whispered from behind. "You know what to do next."

Kara did. Since Jeremiah first suggested she may have an alcohol problem months ago, Kara felt more disgust at herself.

So she turned to pain as she always did. Physical pain was always better than emotional pain.

Taking the razor from under the toilet cover and out of the waterproof bag, she made three gashes across her forearm, the sting no longer bothering her, but feeling the burning that followed.

"That wasn't enough, was it? You did better. Stop wasting our time. We have a million miles to travel and a short time to get there." the red and black clad woman told her.

Kara felt as if she were a passenger in her own body, ripping off the bracelet and unleashing her heat vision on the cuts, then going to her other arm. Once both were blackened and she could no longer stand the smell, she stopped, turning on the shower. She took ten minutes to heal and then scrubbed herself all over hard, going through five of those irritating Loofahs Alex loved so much. She stayed in the shower, long past the hot water had run out, not effected or even noticing the drop in temperature.

"How do you feel?" her companion asked.

"Disgusting. I can't wash it off."

"Don't bother, you will do it again and again. You have no respect for yourself. I wonder why? No, we both know why. Let's start with...what did your therapist say? Your Daddy issues."

Kara found herself back on Krypton. She had traveled everywhere it seemed, but this was her first trip since she cut Non to pieces after killing him in her bedroom. Kara knew it hadn't been real, but it felt so good. It was even better when Astra discovered her, right before Kara was transported elsewhere.

Everything from that point had been real. At least she thought it had been. At times, her memory was foggy, reexperiencing events she did not remember well before, others as clear as day.

She was a little girl again, running through the halls of the compound and slowing to a walk when she heard others near, then running again. She knew her father was in his lab. Today she had what she considered her crowning achievement. Kara had drawn a perfect likeness of her father on her datapad.

Her excitement increased when she realized Jor El was nowhere to be seen. Kara would have his full attention. Zor El was just reviewing results, not involved in an active experiment. Her mother told her no four-year-old should be able to draw like this, that she was special. He would see she was special.

"Kara! It is so good to see you." he greeted her with a warm smile. "I have something I want to show you. Come here."

Kara thought of showing him her datapad first but obeyed. If she showed him first, he would disapprove that she had not followed his directions.

The short girl was lifted by her father to stand on a chair. In front of her was a large screen, several million strands mapped out meticulously.

Kara was nervous. She enjoyed math, physics, engineering. Life sciences were not her forte. She knew enough to recognize what was on screen was a Kryptonian, at least similar to the genetic codes she had been shown, though at only four, she had just learned to read DNA codes six months ago.

"Do you know what this is, Kara?"

The little girl began sweating.

"Yes, of course." she hoped, trying to sound confident. "It is the genetic code of a female, 6-foot-tall, most likely 140 pounds at full maturity. The highlighted data receptors indicate she will be best suited for the Military Guild. Is she due to be completed soon or is she still in development in the Genesis Chamber?"

Kara relaxed a bit. She felt confident her answer was right.

Her father smiled but a warmth was missing as it didn't reach his eyes.

"Look closely, daughter. What do you see? Take in everything. What is different about this Kryptonian?"

Kara began panicking, realizing there was a definite underlay of disappointment in his voice. She searched the screen and did note that there were irregularities she had not noticed before. Was it another genetic predisposition? The strength and speed levels, especially for a female were higher than normal, for anyone not in the Military Guild.

"I see additional proteins and recombinant DNA molecules. The sequence seems a bit off, the nucleotides are out of sync. This could cause a mutation could occur. The process should be stopped and remapped, right father? If the child was born from the Codex in this state..."

"It would be a miracle creature born from the House of El that could one day save us all, assist out Military in protecting us and spread the Kryptonian culture across the Universe. What do the repositioning of the nucleotides in this specimen mean? What kind of genetic mutation are you looking at? What use could these be? Think Kara."

Kara was definitely sweating now, her brow slick and her heart racing. She didn't know. It went against what she had been taught to that point. Whatever this model was, it was wrong. But her father seemed happy.

"I... I don't know, father."

Zor El nodded his head, disappointment obvious but not showing surprise.

"I have a meeting with General Zod momentarily. What was it you needed? Did your mother send you?"

"No father. I wanted to show you a drawing I finished." Kara explained hesitantly, reaching out her datapad.

Zor El took it and smiled unconvincingly.

"Very nice." he told her. "Please go to your quarters and have Kelex begin the next phase of your genetic mapping lessons including possible mutations and how they are recognized. Your basic sequencing skills are lacking. You should be able to note a mutation at once, instead of looking at the obvious and being satisfied. I hope the next time I show you a miracle you will know it when you see it, daughter. I expect you to use that datapad for what it was made to be used for. You must do better. Return to me in four rotations and we will reevaluate your observational skills."

"Yes father."

Kara walked out quickly, her older self beside her.

"He is such a loving and kind father. That sick bastard. What were you thinking? Did you think he would hug you, tell you that you were special? Tell you that he loved you? He didn't. The man was busy preparing Kal El's bodyguards when he reached Earth. You never could understand his experiments. Or did you not want to?"

"Shut up." Kara whispered, walking into her quarters.

"Why? Why should we shut up? Oh, look. Kelex is here already."

Kara turned and saw Kelex, already preparing her lesson plans for the next several days, the bulk of which she had no doubt would be recognizing genetic mutations.

"Do what you want to do, Kara. Do you hate your father?"

"Yes." she seethed.

"But you made such a lovely portrait of the man you wanted him to be."

Kara turned and screamed, slamming her datapad into Kelex. Like with Non, she was stronger than the machine, ripping its head off and slamming the body to the floor, stomping it until the power unit died.

"Go Kara. Go and kill him. Its what you want. Kill him!"

Kara looked at Kelex on the ground and then back to the hall and smiled. Zod and her father were together.

She grabbed the knife from her nightstand, the same knife she had used on Non centuries or seconds ago.

Instead of losing herself in a blind rage when she saw her father, Kara took her time. She savored every scream.

Once again Kara was sent away, this time to Midvale and that damn day Henshaw arrived.

She still felt out of control, knowing this was a memory but it felt as real as the Black Mercy.

She watched it all unfurl, felt all the emotions that day. One thing was different.

Again Alex asked her not to kill Henshaw and said she would love her either way.

So Kara finished the job. She struck him with her heat vision and did not stop until he was ashes, only bits of small bones remaining.

When she turned, the faces of the Danvers were clear. They were terrified of her. They had seen the monster the little girl truly was for the first time.

The sight sickened her. Alex was afraid of her. That in itself tore her apart.

"Enough!" Kara shouted. "I'm not doing this anymore!"

Kara found herself in darkness once again. She recognized this feeling though, she recognized the smell of the place, the feel of the mattress under her.

She also recognized the smell of herself. Though Kara did not normally sweat with her powers, she had been wearing a red sun bracelet for days, three days to be exact. It was for three days, that she only left the bed to go to the bathroom. She often had bouts of severe depression and the worst ones left her unwilling to go to school or leave the apartment at all. She couldn't even find the energy to take a shower. She left the necklace on, not for the feeling of normalcy but because of the quiet. She didn't want millions of voices that she would have to block out or to know about the outside world. The 20-year-old girl wanted to stay here in her bed forever.

Wondering what horror she would relieve this time, she slowly opened her eyes and screamed.

It caught her by surprise when it happened the first time and was no less surprising seeing it all over again.

A white Gorilla was standing next to her bed.

Sitting up quickly, she did her best to catch her breath. Once her heart had calmed somewhat she found her voice.

"What the hell are you doing, J'onn?!

The Gorilla shrugged its massive shoulders and ruffled her hair with a giant, hairy hand.

"What do you want and why are you in this form, in my bedroom?"

The Martian Gorilla jumped over her and landed on her mattress next to her, placing his large arms behind his head and relaxed.

Kara looked around the room, seeing Streaky curled into the corner, ready to attack. It was a testament to her cat's bravery that she had not ran.

"Get off my bed."

The massive primate shook his head and closed his eyes.

"J'onn! Cut it out! You are going to break the bed frame!"

The creature huffed, and the Martian regained his human form, that of Hank Henshaw. Kara at this point in her life was no longer bothered by the sight of the man. She remembered Henshaw's eyes and J'onn's were completely different, kinder, not evil. He wasn't dressed in his usual garb of black shirt, pants and boots. Today he had a red t shirt with a Supergirl logo and loose fitting blue jeans on.

"I had the day off. I do have others to run things. Since everyone else is working and I don't feel like spending the day alone...and since you have no intention of going to class today, I thought you would hang out with me. I want to go to the amusement park that just opened. I have never ridden a roller coaster. Have you?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "Why would I ride a roller coaster? I can fly. I would imagine it takes the thrill out of it. Besides, I'm not going anywhere. I don't feel good."

"Take your bracelet off."

"Its not the bracelet. I don't want to get out of bed. Go ride a roller coaster by yourself and send me some photos."

J'onn grinned and stood up from the bed.

"That's too bad. Are you sure? Every decision you make has consequences." he told her, somewhat cryptically.

Kara looked closely at him and knew he was up to something.

"I know decisions have consequences. I have been living with decisions and consequences my whole life. I doubt riding a roller coaster or not is going to affect my life in a positive or negative manner."

J'onn laughed.

"You have twenty minutes. The park opens at ten and it's a thirty-minute drive. For God, Rao, everyone's sake, shower. Bring your bracelet. A necklace may fly off."

"Is your Martian hearing getting worse the older you get?" Kara asked, irritated.

"If you are not ready in twenty minutes, I will take your form, knock on the door of every female in this building, including your elderly neighbor and ask if they have a box of condoms because you ran out last night. I will then proceed to knock on the door of every male resident of this building and ask if they may have any tampons lying around because you are having a grave emergency and don't think you will have time to make it to the drug store. Decisions have consequences, Kara. Do you want to face those consequences?"

Kara's face turned red, a combination of anger and embarrassment.

"You wouldn't. You hate taking my form. You would never...no..."

"Look in my eyes, Kara. Tell me I am bluffing." the Martian challenged her.

Kara did look in his eyes. He wasn't bluffing. She grumpily surrendered, knowing that Alex or her parents were behind this.

It was twenty minutes into the drive, J'onns classic convertible playing her favorite Broadway hits, that she could no longer take it. She began singing along.

The two ate cotton candy, popcorn, rode roller coasters, which Kara decided with a bracelet on, definitely had an effect on her equilibrium and did enjoy. He even talked her into bumper cars and a water ride which caused her to be soaked by an enormous wave.

They had fun. It was one of the best days she had while living in National City. She thanked him and gave him a hug at the end of the night, going back to bed with a smile on her face.

As soon as her eyes closed that night, she was jerked into another place, a place she knew well from the smell alone had she been blind. She was in Midvale at the soccer grounds. This was not one of Alex's high school games.

This was the day Clark talked about for years.

She stood on the sideline next to Alex and couldn't tell her what was going to happen next. She didn't need to. Kara knew how this ended. There was no reason to change anything.

"Ten seconds left. At least a tie is better than a loss." Alex mumbled. It was pee wee soccer but though she hid it well from the kids, Alex hated losing in anything. Four games into the season they had three losses and hopefully a tie today, a win in Kara's mind, since half the team was more interested in their juice boxes on the sideline.

At eight seconds, Clark stole a ball from the boy he was defending. At two seconds he kicked it past the goalie for the win.

The sudden change in fortune shocked both girls. Kara heard Jeremiah and Eliza cheering from the stands and saw Clark being hugged by all his excited teammates. Even the kids on the bench had dropped their juice boxes and apple slices and rushed the field.

Kara felt tears in her eyes but this time, they were tears of complete joy. She felt joy and pride, her heart swelled and when her little brother jumped into her arms, Alex with her arms around them both she held him as tightly as she could without hurting him.

Kara remembered they won one more game and lost two the rest of the season, but it didn't matter. Clark never doubted himself again after that day.

Kara found herself in the dark night sky, Alex in her arms, both wearing blue party dresses. They had snuck out that night and gone to a club they definitely should have not been in at 16. Kara for once had not felt anxiety around others, though she didn't talk to others. Instead her and Alex danced for hours. The act of doing something sneaky made the whole night worth it.

Landing gently on the roof, she made a brief check of their room, not bothering with X Ray vision, hearing Jeremiah and Eliza both asleep in their room. The girls had left after lights out at ten. Their parents were turning in after a long day and the second Kara heard snores, the sisters were dressed and gone in under five minutes.

At 2 AM, they were giggling about a drunk girl they had witnessed trying to dance when the lights to their room turned on.

A man resembling an astronaut was in the corner pulling a cover off his head.

It was Jeremiah.

"Connolly said this suit would hide respirations and heart rates. I guess the recording of my heartbeat I left in our room worked." he told the stunned girls.

Working his way out of the rest of his very large and loose outfit, he grinned at them and reached out both hands.

The girls took their phones and handed them to him.

"One month. No phones, no beach, no internet, no movie nights in Raleigh and you re both doing the laundry and dishes every night. Any questions or can I go to bed now?"

Neither girl had any questions. The man kissed his daughters on their cheeks, told them he loved them and left the room.

Alex grinned at her sister.

"How the hell did you miss that?"

"The damn DEO." Kara mumbled, incredibly irritated.

Alex patted her on the back.

"Oh well, totally worth it. So we are doing it again next month, right?"

"I think we have to now. He just declared war. Connolly will pay for this as well." Kara agreed and began laughing. Yes, it had sucked to be caught but Alex was right. It was worth it. That night Kara felt like an ordinary teenager and she loved it.

A night in Metropolis. A White Martian Kara had heard rumors of had been found. The blonde decided to go after it, not wasting any time, not giving herself a chance to sober up.

The creature stood in front of her, in the alley outside the abandoned house he had been holed up in. His mission had been to find out J'onn's human identity and kill him. Unfortunately for him, when Kara wanted answers, aliens were more afraid of her than the White Martians.

"You smell of alcohol. I would guess you are so intoxicated, you are seeing double." the monster goaded her.

"I have two eyes, one for each of you." she responded.

Other aliens slowly exited the safe house but kept their distance. A quick look around showed her that no citizens were nearby.

The fight that followed was brutal on her part. This Martian was an amateur compared to others she had taken out. She took a few hits by it's incredibly sharp talons, one of the few things in the Universe that could make her bleed for a minute or so until she healed. The hits were enough though. Kara screamed and unleashed her heat vision, strong enough to catch the White Martian on fire within seconds. Once he was nearly burnt to ashes, she froze him, then proceeded to strike the creature in the face, until her fist crashed through its skull.

"That's my girl."

Kara saw her red and black clad friend was back.

"I told you no more." she hissed.

"It's your life." the Red Lantern responded. "I can't make this up. You are the one who changes things in your mind but what has passed has passed. You didn't kill your father. You let him continue making monsters because you were nothing more than a little girl he never wanted, a pawn. You are the one who tortured a White Martian, beat and burned and took your time doing it in front of other aliens to send a message. You are the one covered in blood, standing over him while other aliens tremble in fear and run, spreading the word about who the true alien monster is on Earth."

"I said enough!"

It was not enough though. Kara was back in high school. She heard her name spoken on the other side of campus, the boy's locker room.

"Don't be fooled boys." Aaron told his friends. "She may look like a nerd, but you would not believe her body. When she takes off those glasses and lets down that hair, she turns into an animal. Practically begs for it."

"Be careful man." a man named Trent told him. "I don't give a damn what the story is, that kid is too young to be her brother. She has already gotten pregnant once. We don't need more of you running around."

"Man, I know what I am doing. Why do you think I won't take her in public? Freak still can't talk to people, hell, I don't think she can go to the bathroom without her sister following her. She doesn't care. She stays in heat. You should give it a ride." Aaron suggested.

Kara sat at her desk, listening to this, and then realized a knife was in her hand.

"No. Not again."

The blonde still found herself rising from her seat and moving at a quick pace to the boys' locker room, blade at the ready.

"I want my mother." Kara whispered, standing in the aftermath of what she had just done.

She was in her home. Alex was with Clark and Jeremiah and Eliza were downstairs waiting on Kara to say something. They knew something was on her mind and gave her time to work it out.

After giving half mumbled reasons, involving Clark not being confused and being a strategic plan for blending in to avoid suspicion, she finally stopped and asked if she could call them Mom and Dad, like Alex and Clark did. It was one of the most nerve wracking moments of her youth, followed by relief and love when they both held her so tight, she swore she could almost notice the pressure.

Kara relived so many moments. Some changed by her violent actions, some exactly as they were, perfect.

She relived nights, just hanging out in the apartment with Alex, and she relived nights like the one where she got drunk and threatened Cameron Chase, held her by the neck high above the National City, threatening to drop her next time, if she ever yelled at Alex again. Chase never said a word to Alex about that incident. She saw in Kara's eyes what the girl was capable of.

Yet Chase never stayed away from Alex and Kara dreamed of killing her many times. This time, she did, dropping her to the ground far below.

She relived her first dance with a boy and first kiss the same night at an Italian Restaurant, reserved for her and Barry Allen. She thought he had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.

While Kara stayed submerged under the Lake of Blood, held by an Amazon and her lasso, reliving the worst and the best moments of her life, her sister and boyfriend sat in Lobo's ship with Batman, the bounty hunter and Guy Gardner. According to Alex's watch four days had passed since Kara arrived.

"How much longer, Gardner?" Alex asked for the hundredth time. No matter how many times he explained that he had no idea, she still asked.

"I don't know. She wasn't that buried under the surface until the Greens tried to hold her."

"They attacked her." Barry countered. The longer he sat in this ship, the more aggravated he became. He felt him and Alex could have gotten her back, until they showed up. They had stayed out of the Doomsday fight, most likely looking for an opportunity to kill Atrocitus if the League failed. They arrived late and decided they were strong enough to capture Kara? They couldn't stop her without a red ring. Not for the first time, Barry wondered if they thought about anything they did. The Flash admitted when he first started, he wasn't known for strategy, as Oliver pointed out more than once, but that changed when he began training with Kara and Alex's friends and then soaked up everything he could from Bruce, Diana and J'onn.

"Yeah," Gardner admitted, "I know. They tried to be the heroes and got slammed. Story of Hal Jordan's life. He isn't a bad guy, he just has his head so far up the Guardians' asses he can't see the forest through the trees."

"Guy," Alex asked hesitantly. "Are you...sure you don't know what she is going through right now?"

Alex and Barry had asked this numerous times and he always did his best to brush it off. The truth would do nothing but worry them. Of course it could be a while and he supposed they should know what to expect.

"I can't tell you exactly. I don't remember but other Reds remember bits and pieces after a while. Some of them remember it all, given enough time. When she comes up, she is going to be confused, not know where she is or how she got here. She may not remember some of the events up to her taking the ring. She will have her mind back." he hoped.

"How? How does this work? You know more than you are saying." Barry told him. Bruce knew as well. Barry had learned to read the man somewhat and Bruce suspected Guy was holding back.

"You relive your past. Before she went into that lake, she was consumed by hatred, rage, vengeance. It ruled her every move. But in the lake, her subconscious is going to fight to remember who she was and why she feels the rage. She will fight with herself, trying to remember the good, giving in and reliving her darkest moments, dreaming of doing things she never had the chance to do and living those moments. I can't say exactly what is going on. Each of us...its different. All I know is she is going to have to make friends with who she really is, the good and the bad. Once she can do that, she can fight back the rage, at least try and contain it. I'm warning you though, she is going to be a hair trigger. Pray no one cuts her off in traffic. Also the more she uses that ring, the harder it will be not to be overcome by the power. That ring takes you over with a rush of rage but after the Lake, it is more subtle and easier to regain control."

Alex and Bruce looked at each other, their fears confirmed. It would be nice if Kara went in the lake and came out completely healed. The only problem they would have would be finding a way to get the ring off her.

But now she would have a weapon of immense power, tempting her to use it and causing her already explosive temper to worsen.

Alex already knew the answer, so she hadn't asked it, but decided then it needed to be asked.

"Guy, you are human. Do drugs work on you, like Tylenol, or Ibuprofen, antibiotics..."

"Anti-depressants?" Guy guessed. He wasn't a genius, but he knew Kara Danvers problems had to have ran deeper than just a short fuse.

Alex's silence was all the answer he needed.

"Sorry Alex, but those drugs build up in the blood. Her blood is ruined now. Its only good for turning into plasma and being vomited, used as a weapon. To be honest I have never seen any Red literally breathe fire like she can. Her heart isn't beating anymore, just humming with energy keeping her alive. Drugs won't work on her. Alcohol won't even work on us. You wouldn't believe the times I have wanted to get drunk since taking this ring."

Barry was listening to his and not liking any of the answers he was hearing. Kara was trapped in a Lake of Blood, being held by Diana and none of them knew her state. She was going through a personal hell and when she woke up she would no longer have any medications. She would be distraught, depressed, angry and probably want a drink. Finding out that wasn't possible would make her feel even worse. She had been priding herself on her sobriety. Knowing Kara, finding out she couldn't get drunk anyway would make the fight worthless in her mind. Without that fight, Kara would be looking for another.

"What if she was injured? Could Alex perform a surgery if necessary?" Barry asked, thinking of the red crystal. Perhaps if was implanted she could retain a sense of normalcy. He and Alex spoke about this the first day they were here. Her cells metabolized the solar energy, not her blood. On a cellular level she shouldn't be changed.

"Who the hell is going to injure her?" Gardner asked. "Even if she wasn't impenetrable to every known weapon, a shot would never get through her red aura and if by some miracle it did, her blood would destroy whatever projectile was inside her. Her energy would just heal her instantly. She has her mind back, she is a god now. Untouchable."

The bracelet would still work on her, Barry and Alex hoped. Nothing could get under her skin without being destroyed but on her skin shouldn't be changed. Maybe if she could get some...

Barry remembered the other issue he and Alex had talked about. If Kara was vulnerable she would begin hurting herself again. No doubt in either of their minds. She may even try to commit suicide again.

Those were problems for another time. First things first, Kara had to get up. He and Alex had walked the shore of the lake, Bruce holding Alex back from rushing in a couple times. The stench was horrid, the planets surface was hard, rocky, the beach covered in sharp red gravel. Lobo's suits were tough, and his breathers worked great but waiting by the shore hadn't seemed prudent. Instead they took turns monitoring the lake from the cockpit of Lobo's ship. He had positioned his ship on the shore, nose cone pointed almost directly where Kara and Diana lay submerged about fifty yards from the shore, according to Guy.

"If I haven't told you, thanks." Barry told the Red Lantern. "For helping her, you and your team. She would have been killed early if not for you guys and Lobo."

Gardner shrugged off the gesture, not wanting to mention Kara may have been better with dying than this. "You took out Atrocitus. We can call it even. I'll be heading to Earth with you. You can all study my ring there as well. I know you will be looking for a way to get it off her without killing her. A lot of my guys, me included want ours off. If my team can't figure out how to get a Blue ring, Alex, you and your parents are the best chance we got."

The man stood up, deciding to go back into the tunnels of the great cliff overlooking the lake. Inside the cavern were large rooms, filled with tech, bedrooms, lounges, everything a boy or girl Red Lantern could need on a hellish wasteland like Ysmault. The original Red Battery was also there.

"Barry you sure you don't want anything to eat? We got a meat resembling burger in taste, if not DNA." Gardner offered.

Barry shook his head, not warming up to the idea of unknown meat...or something.

"No thank you. I need a lot of calories and these noodles Lobo has on board are doing the trick. Plus they taste great."

Lobo stood up quickly and walked towards the cockpit.

"Noodles? You mean those dead worms?" Gardner asked. "I never could stand the taste. Tough little things. I ate one that wasn't completely cooked once. Bastard swam around in my stomach for a week before he let himself be digested. Tough buggers. Let me know if you change your mind."

Barry looked at Batman and Alex, neither of whom were looking at him.

"Worms? Alex you said they were noodles." Barry reminded her, thinking Gardner must have been joking. Alex had eaten them as well. Sure, Bruce looked at the food as if was disgusting but Bruce was used to five start restaurants. That had to be it.

"I never said they were noodles." Alex told him, realizing she was not going to get out of this conversation in the small lounging area.

"I said these look like Raman Noodles and you said yep, they taste good. Remember?!"

"That's exactly what I said. You said they looked like noodles and I agreed that they did look like noodles. I never confirmed or denied that they were noodles. I also told you they tasted good, which they did, right?"

"You let me eat space worms. I think I'm going to be sick."

"Don't be a baby." Alex told him. "Every time Lobo comes to Earth we boil a batch of them. They are really good. Broaden your horizons, Barry. You should try them with hot mustard."

Before Barry could express his dissatisfaction with Alex's rationalizing her lying, Lobo came from the cockpit and tossed them three breathers.

"We got movement, ripples. I think they are coming up." the big guy told them and continued outside. Barry beat them all to the sure of course, but Bruce, Lobo and Alex were not far behind.

They suited up and did their best not to run over the gravely and unstable surface.

Lobo was right, the red liquid was being disturbed.

Kara rose, a slick rope around her that was loosening, and Diana rising beside her. Both women looked as if they had survived a horror movie, hair, dark and drenched, slicked back and bodies covered in blood.

Kara shook her head and wiped her face, doing no good, considering her gloves were soaked as well. Alex couldn't be sure, but her outfit resembled the armor she had worn into the battle and not whatever clothes she had transformed into after accepting the ring. The House of El symbol was nowhere to be seen, having been destroyed by Doomsday and her material had rips in it for the first time ever.

Kara and Diana both heaved, the liquid that had no doubt gotten into their bodies being expelled. The two looked exhausted, barely able to stand up straight. They placed an arm around each other for support and slowly walked to the shore, nearly tripping a few times but holding each other up.

Once they reached the shore, Barry stayed back, letting Alex reach her first. The older sister wrapped Kara up in her arms, the white suit she was wearing darkening immediately.

Alex did her best to clear Kara's eyes. They were unfocused, and Alex had seen this before when Kara was very drunk. Her little sister didn't know where she was.

"Kara? Hey sweetie, its me, Alex. Do you recognize me?"

Kara reached out and touched her helmet, as if to make sure she was real.

"Alex? I saw you die. Am I dead? Are you real?" the girl asked quietly, her eyes becoming clearer.

"I didn't die. I was shot down but ejected. I am okay. How are you feeling?"

Kara shook her head and took in her surroundings. She noticed the great cliff in front of her, the different species of aliens in red and black, exiting many tunnels to take her in. Surrounding the lake she had just emerged from were more mountainous landscapes, red and brown, structures built into them, some resembling ancient strongholds.

"Is this hell?" she asked quietly.

"No, it isn't Hell. We are on Ysmault." Alex told her, not saying it was the closest she ever hoped to be to hell. The beauty of this planet was nonexistent.

Kara looked at her closely and rubbed her breathing mask where her cheeks were, then grabbed her shoulders.

"You are real? You swear? You aren't dead?" she half asked, and half begged.

"I'm right here. Listen to my heartbeat and you will know." Alex assured her.

Kara did for a moment, instinctively finding her sister's heartbeat among the hundreds of others surrounding her.

What had happened? Where had she been? She was with someone, someone she didn't like...no.

Kara took her left hand and ripped the glove she had been wearing off her right hand. As she suspected a bright red ring resided on her finger.

"No! Please no! Not this...Doomsday! What happened? I was dying! Why aren't I dead? This wasn't supposed to happen! I said I would never...is Doomsday still loose?"

Alex shook her head, heart breaking at the anguish in Kara's voice.

"You took the ring and killed him. You destroyed him, Kara. You saved Metropolis, you saved us all."

"And I became him, didn't I? Did I kill anyone? Please tell me I didn't kill anyone, Alex."

"No," the older sister assured her. "You didn't even hurt any innocents, I promise. Let's go into Lobo's ship and get you cleaned up, okay?"

Kara looked around, seeing a blood drenched Diana, not sure why she was here or why she was in the lake as well. She saw Bruce, grim faced but a look she recognized as relief on his face. What was he relieved about? She was a monster, a real, fire breathing monster now. Kara remembered the stories Barry had told her about what the Red Lanterns were like.

Then she noticed Barry, dressed like Alex, standing right behind her sister.

She slowly moved around Alex, her feet trying to regain their bearings.

"You came here? To this place? For me?"

"Always." he told her. "Partners. Where you go, I go."

Kara's head was beginning to clear. She was beginning to understand. She really was on Ysmault, she really did have a Red Ring and the people around her were real. She recognized Lobo's large ship, and then the man himself, standing back with his arms crossed but a big smile on his face.

Why was everyone so happy? The worst had happened. It would have been better if she were dead. Why could no one ever understand this?

"How long?" she asked, instead of the hundreds of other questions she had.

"Four Earth days." Barry told her.

"I need to get home. I want to go home." Kara decided. Her senses were in overload, her ring desperately wanted to go to what she instinctively knew was a large power source not far from here. She knew it must be a battery.

No, she would not give the ring what it wanted.

"Kara, I'm Guy Gardner. We have never actually..."

"Get the hell away from me." she hissed, her eyes brightening as did her ring. The man immediately stepped back and dipped his head, knowing this early, Kara probably felt his threat to her power. Not that he was really a threat. Though she wasn't thinking it and her mind seemed to have returned, instinctively she knew he was an alpha of some sort and she would challenge him if provoked. New Reds were still predatory in nature at first, even after the Lake of Blood. It was imperative he got to Earth before she did and warned Jordan not to let his Lanterns anywhere near her, to hide their energy or she may search them out.

Of course some of them may be dead, but he didn't have it in his heart to care.

He backed up a few feet, showing he meant no harm.

"I'll make a tube to Earth. Lobo, give me a call when you have all settled in and we can begin the research."

Gardner walked away, letting the other Lanterns know with a look that they should go inside, lest they set off the powerful woman on the ground.

"Let's start back to Earth and you ladies can get cleaned up. We will answer all your questions, see what you remember, okay Kara?" Lobo suggested.

Kara nodded slightly, the idea of being clean, very appealing to her.

"Should I go back?" she asked suddenly. "Is it safe?"

Alex gently grasped her shoulder. "I will not rest until we figure out how to get this ring safely off you, Kara. Give me a chance, okay? Have faith in me. It will be safe. I will be with you the entire time, okay?"

The blonde nodded her head and let Barry guide her to the ship.

Diana slowly followed behind the rest, before Bruce stopped her.

"What happened in there? Are you okay?"

The blood-soaked woman nodded her head slightly and looked at the rocky surface.

"Nothing happened. I lay there for however long we were there, eyes closed, and had only my thoughts to keep me company. I could have come out at any time...Bruce, before I fought her, I was inside her head. It was..."

Diana stopped talking for a moment, trying to find the words. Batman gave her time, understanding a bit. If she had ever been in his head, she would be disturbed, and he knew Kara had much more darkness than he did.

"I told you in Paris when we first met that you had failed her. I was wrong. She would have done what she did regardless of you. I am the one who failed her. I should have been there."

Bruce said nothing, knowing whatever he could say wouldn't change her mind. Maybe she was right. They all made mistakes, sometimes small ones and sometimes major ones, devastating ones. It was the life they were destined for.

"Curry has your sword and shield. I would suggest that we keep the sword far away and hidden from Kara. I know she will try and take it at the first opportunity, try and cut her finger off, try and break the ring in half. That is the only weapon we know is capable and it must remain hidden from her. Watch it closely, Diana."

The Amazon agreed and entered the large ship, already thinking of what their next move would be.

Neither she nor her League would be caught unprepared again.

She also had to decide what to do about the Green Lanterns.

 **Metropolis**

The man cleared his throat, raising his hand to stop the flow of questions already being asked before he could begin.

Once the room silenced down, he put down his notes and spoke to the assembled press conference, including reporters from all over the world.

"My name is Special Agent Jack Webb, FBI, and I am heading the investigation. I will read a short statement and then answer a few questions. This is an ongoing investigation, so some matters are still not clear, but we want to be open with the world and I will answer what we know right now."

Jack took a deep breath. He had been a warrior for most of his life. When Henshaw 'retired' and Connolly refused to play the political game he knew that he would become an administrator. He didn't mind, considering he still got to go into the field and as Director of a Black Ops agency he did not have to speak to anyone other than the President and a few Congressmen.

Marsdin insisted he take over this investigation. The FBI would handle criminal prosecutions, but the DEO would find out what happened. That meant a full fake background, a history of service with the FBI and a stint where he got to play special agent in charge, whatever the hell that meant.

"Five days ago, an alien creature escaped confinement in an underground section of Lex Corp's corporate headquarters in downtown Metropolis. We have discovered an underground research facility below the building, not known by the city or permitted. Mr. Luthor was harboring and studying an unknown creature of what we believe to be extraterrestrial origin, without the knowledge of the Government. The building was destroyed by the monster and Mr. Luthor's remains long with several scientists under his employ were discovered in the underground area. From what Forensics has ascertained, the underground portion was dedicated for research on ways to murder Supergirl and other aliens Luthor deemed a threat to society. Again, this research was done in secret and in no way known about or sanctioned by the US Government."

Webb looked around the room, pleased he had all their attention but not doubting the moment he stopped talking, the room would explode.

"After the creature escaped, he began a rampage downtown, destroying property and taking lives. Street cameras were destroyed and cell phones that we have found so far have been destroyed but we are attempting to recover data. The body count as of now, is two hundred and fourteen people killed in the first ten minutes of the attack by the creature itself or falling debris and collapsed buildings. Survivors are still being searched for in the rubble and bodies are still being recovered. These names will not be released yet due to not all families being notified at this time. From all indications it looks like the attack started shortly after 9 AM. According to witnesses at the scene who had not been able to flee immediately, Supergirl arrived on the scene approximately fifteen minutes after the monster began his attack. She engaged the creature, giving citizens time to escape. From what eye witness reports we have collected, it appears she was assisted by a group of aliens and eventually the individual known as the Martian Manhunter and a masked human female in an aircraft of some sort who has worked with Supergirl in the past. The battle lasted just over twenty minutes, during which time the area had been cleared of civilians as much as possible. Supergirl destroyed the creature but sustained grave injuries and is currently missing, along with the aliens that assisted her and members of the Justice League who arrived shortly after the battle. Currently, that is all the information I have. I will now take a few questions."

As he suspected, the room exploded. Against his better judgement, he acknowledged Lois Lane first. Kara would have wanted that.

"Has the FBI found any other connections outside of LexCorp, taking part in this project to murder Supergirl and are there other possible biological alien weapons still hidden in secret facilities?"

"As of right now, we know of no other threats or coconspirators, but the investigation is ongoing. The CIA, FBI, IRS, and Homeland Security have seized LexCorp and are investigating other possible laws the company has broken and who if anyone else besides Lex Luthor, was involved. You, in the third row?"

"Chloe Sullivan, Daily Planet. Does the FBI or the Government know where Supergirl has been the last five months and why she showed up now?"

Jack had expected this as well. Of course he knew, and of course he would lie. Its what Government Administrators did. At least he would tell half-truths that gave him plausible deniability.

"Supergirl does not work for or in conjunction with any Government agency in the US and as far as we know, abroad. She does not report her movements, actions, locations or reasons to anyone. If she returns, you will have to ask her that. I cannot answer for her. We are thankful she did arrive. If she had not, that monster could still be rampaging across the country side. She saved countless lives at great risk to her own."

"You said the Justice League arrived shortly after Supergirl defeated the creature. Do you know why they took so long to respond?" Lois asked, not being called on but her voice louder than the rest.

"The Justice League also does not work in conjunction with any Government agency. We have heard a rumor that they were engaged with another alien or metahuman threat somewhere in Canada, but I do not know specifics, nor have I been in contact with any member."

"Iris West, Central City Picture News. Is there any connection to this event, Lex Luthor and the destruction of the Great Pyramid on the Yucatan Peninsula?" she asked, new to the scene of big time press conferences but holding her own.

"The Mexican Government and the CIA is investigating that incident. I have heard rumors that a terrorist organization composed of humans using alien tech that call themselves the Green Lanterns may have been involved but I can neither confirm or deny that. As far as I know, Lex Luthor has no connection to that unfortunate event, but we are ruling nothing out for the moment."

Jack knew this was a lie but from what he had heard of the Green Lanterns he really didn't give a damn.

More questions flooded in, all in the same vein and Jack answered all of them with the same vague response. Did Luthor intentionally set the monster loose, hoping to draw out Supergirl? Where has Supergirl been for the last five or six months, depending on who saw J'onn last, posing as her.

Webb eventually called an end to the press conference and walked out, leaving reporters still asking questions in his wake. He needed to get back to the office and calm Connolly down. According to Ty, Dante had arrived in Metropolis and the DEO headquarters there and had no idea what he was walking into. Once again, it would fall to Jack to keep the peace in the team, even if Dante wasn't technically DEO any longer.

At the DEO headquarters, Connolly had been on a rampage all week. He had threatened to fire Deputy Director Chase for the DEO's non-response to the biggest alien threat to ever hit Metropolis. Though the man knew his agents couldn't have done anything, they still should have tried in his mind.

He was furious at himself that he had not been there, instead on the other side of the country in National City, furious at what had happened to Kara. He was also extremely angry that J'onn and Alex had nearly been killed. The man had spoken to the Danvers who were barely holding it together but working in conjunction with Veritas at the Block to heal J'onn while trying to remain strong for Clark who was a wreck himself.

And now another issue he had just walked in.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked Dante. "Shouldn't you be in Central City? I guess that is what Wayne Industries pays you to do now, right?"

Dante did not take the bait, having already beaten himself up over this.

"I wanted to know if you had heard any word about Kara and Alex? Apparently, you have stopped taking my calls."

Connolly looked at him and seriously considered starting a fight, just to relieve some tension.

"You told me you were working with Wayne to keep an eye on Luthor here in Metropolis. Running a spy network, watching him closely in case he tried anything. This giant monster somehow slipped past you. Think it might be because instead of working Metropolis where you said you would be backing Kara up, you were screwing a metahuman in Central City? I don't owe you an answer to anything, but I'll give you one. Yeah, the last I heard is Kara was taken to Ysmault to drown in some blood lake surrounded by multiple aliens and Alex, Barry and Batman went to that planet with Lobo who is apparently a hell of a lot more dedicated to Kara than you are! Go back to Central City. National City is a dead zone for aliens. This is becoming our main office and we can keep an eye on things. You aren't needed here. Take Chase while you are at it. Drop her off somewhere she can figure out how to organize a tactical response."

Dante took a deep breath, knowing he wouldn't get anymore from Connolly. He probably should have turned and left.

"The Danvers asked me to help Caitlin Snow..."

That was as far as the two got before Connolly attacked. Ty, and Hawk motioned to the other agents to back off. They knew better than to try to break the two up. It would just cause problems and wind up in innocent bystanders with broken bones.

The fight was typical of the sparring sessions they used to all have. No holding back, anything goes, and at five minutes the fight ends, no matter who is winning.

The problem was this fight went past five minutes, and Ty and Hawk had no choice to step in. The battle continued with four involved, Hawk trying to stop a much faster Dante and Ty trying to stop a faster Connolly.

It ended when Connolly struck Dante in the chin, dazing him and dropping him to the floor defenseless for a second. Had this been combat, it was then the man's neck would have been broken or a knife was stabbed through his heart.

"You two calm the hell down!" Webb yelled, running inside. He got in front of Connolly, watching him closely. Jack was usually the one who could calm the man down when he was lost in a fight and in danger of losing control, just as Alex did for Kara.

Connolly looked around at the gathered agents who had stopped what they were doing to watch the fight.

"Get your asses back to work!" he yelled, sending the men and women in black scurrying off.

He then at his sights on Winn, sitting in the middle of the damn room and feeling very afraid now. He had been brought here hours after the attack and was working with little to no sleep, finding everything he could about Luthor that they may have missed in the past. Luckily for him, Connolly had calmed down somewhat as he usually did after a fight.

"Winn," he said calmly in a quieter voice. "I want you to hack the DOD. Pay special attention to anything attached to Samuel Lane. Look for any projects that he has had any contact with. Break into his home computer, break into Lucy Lane's home computer. Look for projects that might appear to be something else, anti-insurgency, anti-terrorism, I want you looking at everything. Let me know immediately if you see anything strange about them. By that I mean anything that could be being developed to combat a Kryptonian, classified as something else. If that son of a bitch is working on anything we are blowing it up."

Connolly walked back to Jack.

"Find out what Lillian Luthor knows. If she had a hand in this, make it look like a suicide, grief over her little bald son. Find out if Lena Luthor knew anything. Ty, you and I are going back to National City tonight. We are taking a walk through Lord's labs tonight. We go in silent but if anyone gets in our way we take them out. If we find any experiments Lord is working on resembling something on the level of Doomsday we burn it and kill him. Its time we do what we should have done years ago. We are going to clean house. And you." he pointed at Dante.

"You aren't DEO. You don't get to walk in here whenever you want. Go back to Central City and Team Kid Flash. Say hi to Snowball for me."

Ty shrugged his shoulders apologetically at the man, and followed, leaving Dante, Jack and Hawk alone.

Jack knew Dante was furious. His face looked like hell and Connolly's wasn't much better.

"You okay?" Webb asked.

Dante looked at him sharply, giving Jack all the answers he needed.

"Look, we were in the air, still two hours away when he saw Kara nearly dead and Alex shot down." Jack told him. "He didn't see Alex make it out and thought she was dead. He has been like this all week. Don't take it personally. He didn't mean what he said."

Dante shook his head. "He always means what he says. Maybe I should have been there. I forgot my mission."

"The Danvers asked you for a favor and you did it. There is nothing wrong with that. You couldn't have done anything but get killed. Kara and J'onn nearly died. He's right about one thing. It is time to clean house. Let us handle it. I promise I will keep you updated on anything I hear. Those girls will be back. So will Barry and Bruce. As much as I can't believe I am saying this, Lobo won't let anything happen to them."

Dante shook his head. "Thanks Jack. He is right. I'm not DEO. I shouldn't be here. I need to go."

Webb pulled the man in for a hug.

"You will always be team." he assured him.

Dante walked out of the DEO, feeling anything but a part of the team. His emotions had been all over the place since Doomsday happened. Team Flash had done everything they could to get to the battle. Dante tried to use the transporter in Barry's apartment to make it to the Batcave, so he would be within striking distance in Gotham and closer to travel to Metropolis, closer than Central City. Dante was unable to get a hold of Kelex, having lost any connection or place on the chain of command in the Fortress after Kara kicked him out of her life. He hoped she had put him back on but supposed she had other things going on or didn't feel the need.

Cisco had tried to open a breach to the battle site, but they arrived in South Carolina. Wally took off but without Cisco on the com, was unsure of the directions and got lost several times. Cisco tried three more breaches, that led them closer but not close enough. By the time they all made it just outside Metropolis, the battle had long been over.

They had tried, but in Dante's mind it was his responsibility, his failure. Nothing Caitlin could say would change that feeling.

 **The Block**

At nine PM, after Eliza had checked on J'onn who was steadily healing, an alarm sounded. Jeremiah met her in the hallway and ran to the control room, where Arthur Curry stood next to Veritas. Curry was not suited up but did have his trident in his hand.

Veritas turned the alarm off and smiled. The amount of work she had to do in the coming weeks was staggering but at least it could now begin.

The cameras showed a crowded elevator coming down, with three members of the Justice League, Lobo and Alex and Kara.

Kara appeared to be calm, making her smile wider but still inwardly cautious. Veritas was a genius and without even examining the blonde, she knew the medications in Kara's system were gone, possibly for good from the stories Eliza had told her about the Red Ring and its effect on the body.

Jeremiah and Eliza didn't bother to look at the camera. They could tell by the smile on her face who was here.

The two parents were joined by an anxious Clark in front of the elevators.

Their two daughters dressed in white jumpsuits stepped out first.

The Danvers family rushed each other while the others stood and watched the tears, the hugs, the love and the relief. No words were needed among the five, just sobs and rapid breathing.

Study of the ring on Kara's finger that had finally stopped glowing could wait. It had been a nightmarish week and though it was far from over, no matter what, they were all together again.


	34. Chapter 34

Do not own CW or DC characters

By the way, not that I do anything interesting on it, but I do have a twitter account under Tygavin1229. I borrow his name :) Look it up if you ever want to tweet back and forth. I mostly just follow the cast of Krypton and Supergirl and the DCEU and MCU.

 **Chapter 34 Not Ashamed**

Kara sat up in bed, annoyed that she had to lay down but slightly mollified knowing Alex was confined to bed as well. Their parents were learning everything they could about Kara's present physical state which was a nightmare and making sure that Alex suffered no ill effects or was exposed to any radiation that might have been present on an alien world. Neither girl was happy but at least they had each other as usual. Bruce refused to be tested and since he owned the place no one could really make him.

The line up of the Justice League was in the Block, except for John Stewart. Kara heard them all agree that a Green should be nowhere around. Kara was relieved, knowing if she sensed that energy she would not be able to hold back.

Guy Gardner had also arrived and was on sublevel six, having his ring examined by multiple bio physicists.

Kara's doctor was not having much luck.

Veritas had placed a red sun crystal on Kara and to the blonde's relief her powers still dimmed, but she knew that even without them, she was the most powerful person in this building.

Drawing her blood was met with no success. The needle had been unable to penetrate her red aura, being broken on touch. Once she had relaxed enough for the aura to drop and the needle to pierce her skin, the blood that was drawn ate the syringe in less than a second.

Now Lobo was working with Bruce to shape a nth metal needle and syringe that could hopefully hold her blood, or the acid that used to be her blood.

A cellular scan showed she was emitting more power than Gardner, almost three times as much. Her ring seemed to vibrate constantly, and it took a lot of will power not to let it transform her clothes into the fearsome outfit she had worn to fight Doomsday after receiving the ring. Gardner had spoken to Eliza as a go between with Kara about what to expect. Kara did not have anything against the man, but she had felt a strange need to assert dominance over him on Ysmault and warned him immediately to get away. According to Gardner when Kara wished it, her clothes would transform into what her subconscious wished them to be.

That could be bad if her Dad was around, considering some of the costumes she had designed but had either been too shy too or was forbidden by him to wear.

Kara noted that Alex was in a deep sleep, obviously exhausted over the past few days. It had been a trying time for all of them and was still trying. Kara did not want to be here. This place reminded her of her early days of recovery and she knew the medications in her system were gone. Making medicine for a Kryptonian had been hard enough. Making medicine for a Kryptonian with acid for blood would be impossible.

No matter what they tried or how confident her parents sounded, she wasn't fooled. This ring was not coming off short of her death.

The blonde slipped off her bracelet and her hearing rushed her. It was a heady feeling, one she had forgotten without her powers for so long.

She wanted to be angry at herself but couldn't be. Kara never had a choice and Atrocitus knew that. He played her perfectly, knew what would set her off. She still hadn't had an opportunity to ask about that problem. He was not on Ysmault and she was not a mindless creature following him around the galaxy, so someone must have dealt with him. If they hadn't, Kara would find and kill him. Now that she had a ring, he wouldn't be able to hide from her, not like he had the other Lanterns. She was the most powerful, stronger than even him. She knew it. Kara had destroyed a creation of her father's that should have been impossible to destroy. The girl wasn't aware of all the details but knew that after she believed Alex was dead, she had been consumed with rage and unleashed all of it onto the monster turning him into nothing.

Apparently, she did not vomit acidic blood like the rest of the Reds but breathed fire. Leave it to Kara to be unique.

The girl slipped out of bed and moved next to Alex, taking her in, trying to forget the pain and terror she felt when she believed her sister dead. Alex had been by her side through everything, good and bad and the idea of losing her was too much to bare. Their parents had clung to both tonight as had Clark, but Kara never let her eyes leave Alex.

She truly though her sister had died in a ball of fire, flying the jet Kara had made with her own hands.

Running her fingers gently through Alex's short hair, Kara decided that she needed to visit the bathroom. At least the rest of her body still functioned correctly.

After taking care of herself she stared in the mirror. The blonde knew she shouldn't, but the ring needed some release. She closed her eyes and focused, trying to not let it take her over. She felt the vibration, heard the hum of power. Opening her eyes, as she suspected, she was no longer in her pajamas, instead decked out in a red body suit with a Red Lantern symbol planted where the House of El crest once resided. Her midnight black cape was lighter than her normal cape, dragging the floor slightly and her boots resembled the ones she wore with her Supergirl skirt, thigh high and black in color.

She would never hear the end of it from Cat Grant if she appeared in public dressed like this.

Kara was frightening. She frightened herself in this outfit. She could not pull off that sunny disposition she faked as Supergirl. This was her true self now, blood and darkness mixed together. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to relax, to grab the power and put it away as she had learned to do in the early days of learning to control her heat vision. After a minute, she was back in her pajamas.

Kara stepped back into the room where her and Alex's hospital beds were. She listened around the lab, wondering if Barry was still up.

He was. Three doors down. Kara looked through the walls and saw him playing video games with Clark.

Kara walked quietly down the hall, not bothering to knock. Clark looked up and smiled at her.

"Guess you two want to talk, right? I should probably get some sleep. Love you, Kara." he finished pulling her into a hug and walking out.

Kara looked at a grinning Barry.

"He's worried." the man told her, not that she hadn't figured that out on her own.

Kara sat on the bed next to him. "We need to talk. I need to know what happened. Tell me the truth, where is Atrocitus?"

Barry took her hand, turning to meet her eyes.

"We killed him. I mean I killed him. We did...he made it obvious where he was. The battery and him were hiding out in the Great Pyramid on the Yucatan Peninsula. We picked up his energy signature. The bastard wasn't trying to hide. We had no choice but to take him. We left J'onn behind with your family in Raleigh and left in the transport."

Kara suspected as much. Atrocitus told her they were busy. "That must have been when he called me."

"He called you?" Barry asked, surprised. Kara nodded.

"Its how I knew that Doomsday was attacking Metropolis. Lex may have been hiding him, but I have no doubt Atrocitus let him loose."

Barry thought about this and agreed. He wasn't sure if Lex was involved with Atrocitus or just an idiot who was played. It seemed he was played. They all were he supposed.

"I think once we were there, he planned to fly to Metropolis after taking his shot at us, either to kill us or distract us. He had two other Red Lanterns inside the pyramid guarding the battery. Bruce used Stewart as a distraction and went inside, planted a bomb inside the battery then killed the two Lanterns, cut off their heads and fingers. Diana, Curry and I attacked Atrocitus from the front. I stayed back, waiting for Diana to give the signal. Once Atrocitus attacked Diana, Curry threw her sword to me and I cut off his hand and head. Then I destroyed the ring."

Kara felt sick to her stomach.

"You had to kill." she whispered, feeling defeated. She never wanted that for Barry. He had never told her his part in blowing up a squadron of Dominators. It had never come up.

"I would do it again, without hesitation. He wanted to lead you away, make you a slave. That was never going to happen. He overestimated himself and underestimated us. I'm sorry. We should have stayed back. If we had, you would never have had to take..."

"Yes, I would." Kara interrupted. "Its not your fault. It was always going to be me. No one else could have destroyed that monster and I couldn't have done it without the ring. I was ready to die until I saw Alex...it doesn't matter. Don't beat yourself up about not being there. Because of you, all of you, I'm not following him around the Galaxy in some mindless state."

"I still feel like we failed you."

"You saved me."

Barry touched Kara's cheek and smiled, leaning in to kiss her.

Kara jumped back away from the bed quickly.

"Uh...did I do something wrong?" the man asked. He had missed her, worried for her, despaired for her. Now he finally had her back close to him and she obviously didn't want to kiss him.

"I don't know if its safe." Kara admitted. "I don't want to burn you. I... know it's just supposed to be my blood but apparently, I can breathe fire now from my mouth. Until I know for sure what's going on with me, I don't want to risk you being injured."

Barry stood and walked over to her.

"It's a chance I am willing to take." he told her confidently.

"I'm not willing to take it. There are probably going to be a lot of things we can't do anymore. Barry, I have never felt less human. I have always felt alien of course, hard not to with these powers, but with the crystal inside me...now I don't have that. I'm ruined."

"Kara, you are not..."

"I can't take meds anymore. I can't sleep with all this power wanting to let loose. I don't want to do anything other than fly away somewhere, hide and keep myself from ruining anymore lives. I want to go away, but I can't. I feel trapped and no matter what my parents say, this ring isn't coming off. This is what I am now. I'm dangerous to everyone around me."

Barry shook his head. He wasn't surprised. The man had suspected Kara would react this way. He and Alex had even talked about it in the days waiting for Kara and Diana to rise. The Flash thought of kissing her anyway but didn't want to make her angry. Kara had reminded him more than once, she did not like being manhandled or touched unless she wanted to be. So instead of kissing her, he simply brought her in for a hug. She held onto him tightly, very tightly, but he didn't complain. If she broke his back, he could heal later.

"Hey, on the bright side we have matching red rings now." he tried joking, hoping to make her smile but earning a sharp look from her as she backed away.

"My necklace is still at home at least. I had taken it off for a shower and left it in the bathroom. I'm glad. It would have been destroyed against Doomsday. I still can't believe he tore the material and crushed the armor. No offense, Barry, but I am glad you weren't there."

It was the Flash's turn to show irritation. The man walked away a bit, trying to school his face and not show that the comment hurt him.

"You will never have faith in me, will you?" he decided to ask. The question obviously surprised Kara and the confusion was clear on her face.

"Faith? That thing was an unstoppable killing machine. What does faith have to do with it? I didn't want Alex or J'onn there. I didn't want anyone there. My father created that thing. It was my problem. Lex may have hidden it and Atrocitus may have set it free, but it was my blood that gave life to it. J'onn and Alex almost died. Lobo did die, for a while. What does me wanting to keep you safe from the ultimate predator have to do with faith in you? Of course I have faith in you but that thing...I didn't want anyone I love near it. Look what almost happened to Alex. It would have killed me Barry. I was dying, close to death. I could feel myself bleeding out internally and I know when I finally do try to sleep, he will be waiting for me. You couldn't have done anything."

"Maybe we could have together though." he pointed out. "Maybe you wouldn't have had to take such a beating if we were together. I should have been there, and we could have taken him out, together. I have been working hard to get better, Kara. I can do things I never dreamed of. I could have phased him into the ground, cut off his head. He was fast, but he couldn't have been as fast as me. You aren't."

Kara took a deep breath. She wanted to scream at him, tell him to shut up and listen to her. She wanted to tell him he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was and working with a few superheroes wasn't going to make him strong enough to fight Doomsday. Kara wanted to remind him that she had been doing this much longer and while she loved his positivity sometimes it annoyed the hell out of her.

Instead she dipped her head and nodded, controlling herself, barely, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"You're right Barry. We probably could have done it together, but it wasn't meant to be. I'm going to go to bed and close my eyes, pretend to sleep to make Mom happy. I have a lot to do in the morning, like getting out of here as soon as Alex is cleared."

Barry approached her and gently kissed her cheek.

"I love you, Kara." the man told her.

Where has that gotten you? was Kara's first thought but didn't say it.

"I love you too."

Kara moved towards her room and checked to make sure Alex was still sleeping. She listened and heard her parents talking to Shay, going over Alex's cat scans and radiation readings, hoping the syringes Bruce and Lobo were developing could hold Kara's blood and comparing the scans of her ring to Gardner's. Gardner himself was asleep on level 6. She would have to ask him how he managed that. She never realized how reliant she was on her sedative until she didn't have it anymore.

Then she moved to the fourth level, one floor up and visited J'onn. The Martian was still awake, no doubt a million things on his mind. J'onn told Kara over and over since she landed that the bad things that happened were not on her. Despite this, she knew he felt a lot of guilt over things he could not change as well.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Kara asked, checking him over, happy to see the burning hole that had been in his chest was nearly gone, just scar tissue on top that should heal with time as if it were never there.

"I could ask you the same thing." he told her.

Kara shook her head and pulled a chair next to his bed.

"I can't sleep. I have too much...energy I guess, running through my veins. I feel like I am on fire from the inside but its a good kind of fire. It doesn't hurt, it just needs to be released. So relaxation is the best I can do. As soon as they can figure out someway to get my blood drawn, we are all leaving. I still haven't moved my furniture and stuff into my new house."

J'onn stilled, watching Kara's face closely. She was smiling but he also knew she was extremely tense right now. He had spent years watching her face and knew her well.

"You think that's a good idea? Leaving the facility before they can determine a way to get this ring off?"

Kara grinned at him and took his hand gently.

"We both know that they won't find a way no matter how long they search. If there are any answers, they are going to be in the Fortress. This isn't just alien technology, J'onn. I was created using technology and blood magic. Science won't help. I doubt anything can. I am ready to go home. Alex is clear from what I just heard and... why did you get in front of that blast, J'onn? You had seen what they did to me. You had to know what would happen. If I hadn't frozen you, we wouldn't be here talking."

J'onn expected this conversation to happen. He had hoped to be out of this place and avoid her for a while until she lost interest in having it.

"You're right, I saw. I saw you take two blasts within seconds. I saw your armor crack, your suit torn and you bloody and beaten. One more blast and he would have ended you. I had to buy you time to try and recover and that is what I did. I have told you since I met you, Kara. You three kids will always be first to me. You don't get to decide what I think is worth living and dying for. It's my decision and I made it a long time ago. I pray nothing like that happens again but if it does, I will be right there, even if it means I die. You will never change that about me, so don't even try."

Kara shook her head in irritation. "I should have hit you harder in the hangar when I was 13."

J'onn nodded in agreement. "I should have hit you back. Maybe it would have knocked the cocky out of you."

"I'm not cocky." the blonde assured him. "I knew there was no way I could beat that creature. Not on my own."

"Then why didn't you wait for back up?" he countered.

"Because people were dying. I couldn't beat it, but I could buy them time. That creature was one of Zor El's projects. Krypton destroyed enough, and more lives were being lost. I couldn't stay back. I didn't have a choice. I wasn't going to take the ring, I was ready to die but then Alex...Jack always said I needed to keep my emotions out of a fight. They made me sloppy. He was right, but when it comes to her I can't do that J'onn. I thought she was dead. I lost it. The sad thing is I would do it again if I saw her...I know I would. Get some rest. I have things that need to be done. Come to the Fortress when they release you. I want Kelex to perform some tests, for my own peace of mind, okay?"

"I'll be there, I promise. Make sure you are too."

While Kara was checking with J'onn, Barry made a long overdue call.

"Barry?" Joe answered. The Flash was not surprised he was at S.T.A.R. "Did you lose your suit? Why haven't you answered your com?"

"Sorry, things have been kind of crazy. I figured the Danvers, or somebody told Dante what was going on and you knew where I was."

"Yeah, on another planet! Did you even know if you could breathe there? You hopped on to some ship with that monster..."

"That monster saved lives in Metropolis, Joe. Lay off him. I won't say it again. How is everyone?"

Joe, let out a breath, realizing like he did when he was worried he started blaming everyone and everything.

"Things are... its a mess here. The team, Cisco, Wally, Caitlin, Dante, they tried everything they could to get to Metropolis, but it was too late. It was over by the time they even got close. Cisco is beating himself up, Dante has kept to himself, not talking to anyone. Caitlin can barely get him to speak. Wally...he keeps second guessing himself, running times in his head and thinking if he hadn't waited on Cisco's breaches he might have made it straight there. He got lost a few times and has been pouring over maps and satellites trying to learn different routes across the country. Caitlin was certain Kara died hating her. We have been wondering if you would ever come back to Earth. It's...good to hear from you son. Singh was told by your FBI buddies that you would be working the Metropolis scene, so things are covered at work. We could all use you here, Barry, even if its jut for a few minutes."

Barry was not surprised. He knew his friends would be worried. He didn't know they tried to reach Metropolis and the thought was touching, even though ironically, like Kara had felt about him, he thought all they could have done is die.

"Let me get Kara out of here and back home. Once we get to Midvale I will call you and be at S.T.A.R a few minutes later. Probably tomorrow morning."

Joe told him to be careful and ended the call.

He zipped around, frustrated that he had to wait on elevators, and considering running up the shaft phasing through the top and doors.

He finally found her talking to her parents. Her father was holding her while she cried, Eliza running a hand through her hair. He saw Jeremiah agree to something and suspected they would all be going back to Midvale when the sun rose. It was Kara's retreat when things went wrong, or she needed to feel safe. She would always go back to Midvale.

The next morning, after Kara pretended to sleep for a few hours and practically fed breakfast to Alex, the Danvers took a helicopter to Raleigh and then drove the car they had left there nearly a week ago, home. Barry followed on foot, not wanting to crowd the vehicle that already had five passengers. Kara held and ice pack to Alex's head which the girl pushed off repeatedly.

All in all, Kara seemed fine this morning, but he was not fooled. She was focusing on Alex, so she wouldn't have to focus on herself.

Barry was unable to talk to her straight away when they arrived at the Midvale home.

Inside, there were the boxes Kara had been packing, preparing for her move into the new house. They sat there as if mocking her.

Then there was Leslie, waiting on the back porch.

The woman pointed to Kara and beckoned her inside where they went right upstairs to her and Alex's room, so Barry decided this might be a good time to return to S.T.A.R. until she was done. Explaining this to the Danvers, the man went into their basement, hardly even noticed the Fortress which usually left him with a sense of awe and walked back into his apartment.

While Barry checked on his team, Kara was back in her old room, two chairs pulled out, that she recognized as the ones her and Jessica used in the past for their sessions.

Before sitting down, to her great surprise, Leslie hugged the girl.

"You're an idiot." she whispered in Kara's ear, then broke away and sat, Kara doing the same.

"The drugs won't work anymore, I am guessing. Shay called and told me but seems confident that she can figure out a way. I know she was lying and so do you. Everything I have heard about this thing tells me you die if it comes off."

Kara nodded in agreement. "That's what I understand."

"How many times have you tried to pull it off already?" the woman asked knowingly.

The blonde shrugged her shoulders and looked towards the floor.

"A couple. Won't budge. I considered breaking my finger but that would only make it even harder. It refuses to come off. I don't understand it, but I am stuck with it."

Leslie shook her head. "So instead of trusting others to help you, your answer was to commit suicide?"

"I remember parts of it." Kara told her. "I don't remember the fight, with Doomsday or Diana, but I remember parts where I was in the Blood Lake. It was...horrifying. I saw my true self, Leslie. Nothing is ever going to change that. I am more dangerous than ever now. As soon as word gets out, if it hasn't already, that I am a Red Lantern, there will be a mass exodus of aliens from Earth, not just the bad guys either. I feel like I want to explode. I have been so used to feeling somewhat calm and rested and even human, I let myself forget what I really was. I am fate's bitch and I am sick of it."

Leslie shook her head, frustrated beyond belief. Therapy with Kara was never an easy experience but now she had something which would cause her to become angry and lose patience even quicker.

"I told you those medications would help but they weren't the answer, you were. Nothing has changed so quit trying to kill yourself by taking off that ring. Your sister went to another planet to bring you back home and now you want to take yourself from her? Have you learned nothing?"

Kara slowly shook her head.

"I guess I haven't."

"Yes, you have. Keep going to meetings and keep your routine the same, even exercising and meals. Figure out a way to let yourself sleep. If you can't, lay there for eight hours with your eyes closed. You are not being Supergirl again. You couldn't handle it then and you sure as hell can't handle it now."

Kara shrugged her shoulders, the look on her face, showing defeat.

"I wasn't planning on it. Why the hell would I keep going to meetings? I can't get drunk. Why exercise with my powers back? Its a waste of time."

Leslie had expected this.

"You may not be able to get drunk, but you are still going to want to. You are going to be an alcoholic and an addict the rest of your life. Everyday will be a struggle. That urge is never going to go away, and meetings are going to help you deal with those urges. As far as exercise find something like yoga or one of those other fads that teaches you to find your inner chi or whatever its called this month. You headed a bunch of mystical assassins. Surely, they knew some way to calm themselves. Figure it out and keep to your routines."

"I don't want to." Kara argued. "I'm going to move into my new house and figure out a way to get my boyfriend to move on. It's over."

Leslie stood up and approached her.

"Its not over until I say its over and I won't be saying that any time soon. You aren't going to curl up in some ball and wait to die. You can still age with your bracelet or a necklace on. You can still be normal, taking that red mood ring out of the equation. That means you can still exercise. I read the reports Shay gathered from Gardner. They aren't superhuman, they just have a lot of power. You can't hurt yourself anymore, you can't get drunk or high, so you are going to be looking for the next fix. The fix is on your hand and its going to become addicting. You have a bigger fight than you have ever been in. If you give up and try to kill yourself, you are nothing but a coward, and the Danvers have wasted a lot of years on you. Don't do that to them. Keep a bracelet on, keep eating, find a way to sleep without drugs, keep exercising and keep your cool. I'll be back in two days and I expect to see progress. You aren't over, not by a long shot. We just don't have any crutches to fall back on. Don't screw with me, Kara, or I may find one of those rings myself and we can see who is the bigger superpowered bitch."

Leslie walked out, leaving Kara alone. She heard her family turn the television on downstairs. Her mother and father had been so relieved that her and Alex were alive and safe, they hadn't talked to her yet about what she was sure they wanted to. They hadn't asked her about her stunt in the Fortress, nearly killing herself to force Kelex to remove the crystal. They had not talked about what she had seen or experienced. They had only told her that it would be okay somehow. They believed it too. Her mom and dad were big believers in hope. Any hope Kara may have built up since leaving the Block was gone now.

Joining them downstairs, the blonde figured it was time to catch up on the world.

To her great surprise, Jack Webb was on the television giving a press conference.

"Good afternoon. Today we have new information on the attack and have discovered links to Maxwell Lord and his plot to murder aliens using biological weapons against Supergirl and perhaps any metahumans and other aliens he deemed a threat. The National City Laboratory owned by Maxwell Lord was raided last night by the FBI. It was discovered that Max Lord had been conducting experiments on teenage human females, to turn them into superhuman weapons for his use. These girls had been comatose and four were dead before we arrived. One was alive and taken to a hospital where she is undergoing treatment. We are also investigating and plan to arrest the doctors who provided the girls to Lord Industries, as well as the board of directors and scientists who were directly involved in the experiments. Mr. Lord was not present at the scene and is currently missing. We have several warrants for his arrest and we believe he has fled the country. We will be working with Interpol to find him."

Kara felt sick to her stomach. How did she miss this? Lord, Luthor, they had all figured out ways to get around her spying. Who else had? Five girls lives ruined, because of her.

"Something tells me Max Lord isn't missing. Connolly knows where he dumped the body. No way they let him live. I bet he died in pain." Alex whispered, satisfied.

"We also have verification that Lillian Luthor had knowledge and provided support for Lex Luthor's illegal experiments and conspiracy to commit murder. She is also missing as of last night and we believe she is hiding stateside, but the possibility of her leaving the States is there. If anyone sees her, please call the number that should be on your screen now."

"Do you think they killed Lillian?" Kara asked, feeling her acidic blood boiling.

"I doubt it." Jeremiah said. "They didn't put Lord's picture up because they know he is dead. If she were dead, they wouldn't bother having the populace looking for her."

"I can find her." Kara whispered.

Alex placed a hand on her knee. "No, you can't. That is their thing and we have our own problems. Nothing has changed, Kara. You said you would quit and you are done. We both are. Doomsday was an extreme situation, but it is still over."

"I'm a monster, Alex! How can you say nothing has changed?! Everything has changed!"

"Do not yell at me, again. Do you understand?" the older sister told her. Kara met Alex's eyes and as usual, she forced herself to calm down. Not even the ring could change that.

Jeremiah watched them closely and changed the channel, deciding the news was doing Kara no good. He had no doubt Lord was dead and Lillian was in hiding, never to be free to roam in public again.

Unfortunately, all the stations, even after a week were talking about the attack.

"Leave it on, please?" Kara asked quietly.

He stopped on a talk show, one he had watched often. This was on one of the stations owned by Catco, so he hoped it wouldn't anger Kara too much.

So of course the topic was Supergirl. The interviewer and the guest were in a heated debate.

"She saved Metropolis, who knows how many lives. How can you believe she is bad for the planet?"

"I am not denying she has done good over the years, but the public has come to rely on her and she disappears. It happened two years ago and happened again before this incident. Now we have a group of metahumans and aliens that no one truly knows taking on missions with no sanctioning, trying to fill the hole she left. How can the public trust her if she picks and chooses what she deems important enough to make an appearance at?" the man asked. Kara thought he may have been the mayor of Keystone city but wasn't sure. He didn't seem like anyone important. At least the Catco host appeared to be defending her.

"She may be dead now. Do you believe she owes you an explanation for where she has been, Mayor? Do you believe she owes the President or the people? She saved citizens lives at great risk to her own, possibly gave her life, and she should answer to anyone who wishes to know where she has been and what she has been doing? Are the tax payers providing her with a salary?"

"I am simply saying that if she is going to make the public rely on her, she can't simply disappear whenever she feels that humanity isn't worth her time. That creature was set loose by a mad man who was determined to kill her. Would he have set it loose if she were not here, or perhaps made a statement that she was leaving the planet? She was the target, the reason..."

"Lex Luthor was the reason!" the host insisted. "You are the Mayor of Keystone. If someone attempts to assassinate you and innocents are hurt instead, is that your fault?"

The man turned red, showing an anger that Kara found cute compared to hers. Listening to this short, pudgy politician was making her angry and the glow of her ring had nothing on his red puffy cheeks.

"This is typical of the media's behavior. She is beyond reproach and always has been. If she is going to stay gone, she needs to tell the public and perhaps she won't be a target and more lives will not be lost. Supergirl never had to report to anyone, despite her great power and ability to enter any country she wished illegally whether they were part of the UN or not. Any human doing this would be arrested. Now this Justice League appears to be granted the same immunity by the world. This has to stop."

Jeremiah changed the station, having heard enough. The room was also glowing with a red tint.

The next channel had a special on the history of the Luthors and Supergirl, rehashing Lionel Luthor's support for the girl and Lex and Lillian Luthor's criticism once Lionel had died. For the first time questions were being raised about Lionel's death.

Then the question of where had Supergirl been all these months came up again.

She was unreliable, she had been ignoring natural disasters that people she could have saved, died in. Questions were asked about whether she had tired of humanity and if she was alive, would she ever return.

Jeremiah decided to turn the TV off. Netflix was a much better idea.

"What have we always told you, Kara?" Eliza asked.

"That I owe humanity nothing." Kara recited. Her mother had preached that to her since Kara arrived on Earth and determined she was the one who had to stop Non and Astra.

"It's still true."

Kara shrugged her shoulders, Alex taking her right hand and the ring dimming.

"But this is my legacy? Everything I have done, and all people will talk about is me abandoning Earth. I showed up to fight that monster and people complain that I am not around any longer, that I decided humanity wasn't worth my time? What the hell have they ever done?"

"It will blow over." Alex assured her.

"No it won't." the blonde disagreed. "People will think I am either dead or have just given up on them. Everything I have done will be overshadowed by the mystery of my disappearance. Nothing Bruce's team does will make them forget about me. If I hadn't shown up to fight Doomsday and they had...if they had been killed, I would be known as the girl who left humanity to die."

"Kara," Jeremiah told her. "You are not going back to it. You swore you wouldn't. You swore to all of us."

"Please don't, Kara." Clark whispered. "You promised."

"I'm not, but I am going to set the record straight. If this planet wants to remember me, they will remember me for the truth and nothing else. I am tired of being afraid, tired of it all. I need to go to the Fortress. I need another costume like my old one but this one will cover my hands. One last time in the costume, no fights, no visits to the sick. Don't stop me. I will end this, once and for all."

Kara stood up and walked towards the basement, her family right behind her.

Eliza caught her first while Kara waited a few seconds for the transporter to open.

"I am good. Alex, please call Iris and tell her to go to National City tonight and be at Catco in the morning, 9 AM. She will have a pass there."

"A pass to what? What are you going to do, Kara?"

The blonde smiled.

"What I always do. I am going to make history."

Barry was with Iris when Alex made the call to her. Both he and Iris were confused but Iris hurried off to the airport for her trip to Catco. Barry found the Danvers in the Fortress, but all they knew was Kara would be holding a press conference in the morning. She was vague on the details, but they suspected she would announce her retirement. Since there were no transports to National City any longer, and Alex's jet wreckage had already been salvaged and collected by Wayne Industries to secure the Omegahedron, they really had no way short of commercial airlines to get to National City before Kara would set in motion whatever she planned.

Calls to her went to voice mail.

So the Danvers planned to pretend like they weren't nervous and worked on a project Kelex believed might have some success in providing Kara with much needed rest and perhaps other benefits. Barry himself, went back to Central City and ran to the coast, not exactly knowing where Kara was since she was not answering his calls either.

Cat Grant knew where she was.

The girl was on her balcony, in full suit, only her hands covered in blue as well as her arms. Cat had contacted her a few times since Kara had been released from rehab but not spoken to her at length, not wanting to bother her in her time of recovery. She had received a text message this morning asking her to organize a press conference inside Catco where she would be making a statement and gave her a list of reporters she wanted there.

Cat walked cautiously onto the balcony. It was eight AM and the conference was scheduled for 9, giving reporters who didn't know across the country, no time to make it to National City.

"I was hoping to never see you in this suit again." Cat greeted her, walking slowly onto the balcony.

"You won't after today." Kara assured her. "This won't last long. I'm going to read a statement and then leave. There will be a million questions, a media firestorm. You should have fun with it." Kara offered.

A few years ago, Cat would have been extremely excited about this. Now she was cautious. No she decided, she was scared.

"Your parents tell me you aren't answering any calls. Tell me what you plan to do. I need to know or there won't be any press conference."

Kara figured as much. Cat did love to control information, as much as she claimed not to.

"The people of Earth want to know where I have been. They think I have abandoned them, they want to know why I only showed up to fight that monster. I'm going to tell the world the truth. I'm not going to hide what I am. They want to know, maybe they hate me, maybe they don't. Either way, I am done lying and being talked about. I am done being accused of leaving humans to fend for themselves like they have done for a billion years. I am tired of it all. For better or worse, they are going to know the truth about the real me."

Cat had a sinking feeling in her stomach. This was normally something that she would have never allowed, preached to Kara that it wasn't possible, that it would destroy everything she had worked for.

But there was no changing her mind. Near death experiences tended to change a person she supposed. If she didn't control this, Kara would find some other place to do it.

"You go live in an hour." Cat simply said and walked back into her office, leaving Kara alone on the balcony, to think, to try and relax, to possibly change her mind.

It didn't happen. At 8:55 a grim-faced Kara walked slowly into a room filled with Catco reporters and one lone reporter from the Central City Picture News.

She stood in front of the podium, waiting for the camera to set up, the lights to come on and an indication that she was live, about to stand before millions in the US and abroad.

Once the signal was given, she took a deep breath and began.

"Thank you all for coming. I have a statement to make, in answer to many questions about my whereabouts the last few months. I won't be taking questions, but I will do my best to answer some questions the media has had recently since the events of last week."

Looking around, she made sure she had all their attention. It wasn't hard. Twenty or so reporters were in the room and everyone had a recording device pointed towards her, despite being filmed.

"Many people know my story. I arrived on this planet when I was 13 and taken in by people who loved me very much. I also had many problems. I remembered the death of my planet, I heard the explosion, the pieces of my home, striking the ship I was sent off in. When I arrived here, I suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and severe anxiety, to the point that I could not hear thunder without having a panic attack. I also developed a major depressive disorder. Thanks to my loved ones who took care of me, I was able to battle these symptoms as best I could. Medication was not available due to my alien blood, but we all did the best we could. Without them, I would have been lost."

Kara took a moment, taking a deep breath and tried to ignore the absolute stillness in the room. She did glance at Lois in the front who had a tear rolling down her cheek. Kara had never seen Lois Lane cry.

"At the age of 18, I decided I wanted to help people, use these gifts to help humanity and protect them, fight the battles they could not fight themselves, save the ones that couldn't be saved without a miracle. I desperately wanted to be that miracle. But being a savior has consequences, a very high cost. Any solider, police officer, doctor, nurse and fireman can tell you this. Without medication, I turned to different types of alien alcohol and other substances. Two years ago, when I disappeared for three months it was because I tried to commit suicide. I was saved by others but took months to recover."

A gasp from the back of the room caught her attention. She wasn't sure which reporter had done it but was not surprised. She expected this reaction. For better or worse, after this, the world would either vilify her or understand and leave her alone. Either way, the world would never ask again, where she was or why she left.

"Six months ago, my symptoms had gotten worse. I was becoming ill, and after being approached by others who knew me well, I was taken to a special rehabilitation facility where I have been recovering and getting help. It was decided between myself and my counselors that I should stop being Supergirl, that the pressure and the things I saw were harming me worse. Since that time, I have stayed out of the spotlight, concentrating on getting better."

Kara began wishing she had brought notes. She hadn't gotten as far as explaining Doomsday, so she would have to wing it like everything else.

"I was watching the television when I found out about the attack on Metropolis. I knew the Justice League was in a battle elsewhere and knew from seeing the creature that I was the only one who could stop it. I along with other aliens, engaged the creature as soon as I could get there. With their help, I was able to defeat the creature but sustained life-threatening injuries and have been healing for the past week. I arrived because it was an extreme situation, one that not only threatened Metropolis but possibly the entire United States and world."

The blonde looked out at the still quiet room and met Iris's eyes. She was smiling and nodded her head. Kara may not have been able to read the other reporters thoughts, but Iris obviously thought she was doing the right thing. Maybe they were both right or wrong but it was too late to back out now.

"I wish I could be the perfect hero. Children, adults, many people from all walks of life have looked to me as a symbol of all that was right in this world. I wish that were true, but it isn't. I have mental health issues and am an alcoholic and addict. I used to be ashamed of this, but I have met people and learned of people who have these same diseases. Some with these people with the same problems may be in this room, and thousands are most likely watching. I have been ashamed of this my entire life on Earth, but I am no longer ashamed. The shame is in not getting help. I am not human, but I am also not a god. I am a person who did the best she could to help others. Unfortunately, I am not able to help others anymore without hurting myself and the ones who love me deeply. Therefore Supergirl will be no more. This world will always have heroes, fire fighters, soldiers, police officers, paramedics, metahumans and aliens. It will not be defenseless. I realize admitting this could cause me to be criticized by some people even more so than in the past, but as I said, I am not ashamed. It has been an honor, a great gift, serving the people of this world. Thank you for your time."

Kara walked out, leaving behind a room so quiet you could hear a pin drop. She opened a window on the floor and flew out, heading to the Fortress of Solitude. She did not fly fast, wanting time to think, to wonder what her family and the world's reaction would be. Kara did not care about the world so much. No matter what they thought, Supergirl was dead. Her family's thoughts were a different matter.

She had not taken their calls or Barry's because she did not want to be talked out of this. Now it was out there, and she could move past it. If anyone tried to track her or the ones she called her loved ones, Kelex would prevent them from doing so. Those that knew would have their memories wiped if they didn't already have a mental block in place.

It was over. She may be a monster, a Red Lantern, but she would be one in peace.

In the Arizona desert, underground in a bunker known only to a few, General Samuel Lane, his daughter Lucy and Lillian Luthor watched the broadcast.

Lane could not believe his luck.

"All this work to destroy her, all this work to discredit her, and she did it to herself. Amazing." he said almost giddily. Lucy looked at her father in slight disgust that he would be so happy about what they had just learned.

Lillian Luthor looked at him sharply, wiping the smile off his face.

"You idiot. This is the worst possible thing that could have happened to us."

"She admitted to the world that she was a mentally unstable junkie! How can this be bad?" the man asked.

Lillian shook her head, mourning her son but now focused on anger.

"Because, you idiot, she just became human."


	35. Chapter 35

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 35 Pyramids can't catch a break**

Kara walked around her new bedroom, boxes still unpacked as she tried to determine many things in this one room. The first, where her bed should be. Though she had a plan in her head before she ever built the house, seeing it in person had her changing her mind constantly.

Kara's mind was constantly churning. She had worn an ankle wrap with a red crystal around her leg in the past week since her press conference. That red crystal did not stop the energy flowing through her veins and arteries, making her desperate for some target to unleash her rage on. She tried to sleep at night but the ring whispered to her it seemed. When she was able to doze off, her sleep was broken, either by scenes she did not recognize, planets, wars between Corps, battles fought and enemies burned. Other times she slept peacefully until the face of Doomsday roared at her from nowhere, waking her up immediately, power bleeding from her ring. Had she still had a heart that beat, Kara believed it would have burst out of her chest.

Since her statement, Kara had not watched the news. Jeremiah and Eliza were proud of her, at least they said they were, but she wondered. Alex hugged her when she returned, saying that she couldn't believe Kara gave credit to other aliens but none to her and not mentioning the rest.

It was Clark's reaction that surprised her the most. She had worried afterward about tarnishing the symbol he planned to wear someday. Instead of disappointment, he told her that she was a hero and he was proud of her, making her a bit emotional though she controlled it.

Barry had met her in the Fortress and asked why she didn't tell him.

Her answer that it was something she needed to do and didn't want to discuss it with anyone, didn't please him. She couldn't help it. Kara knew he wanted to know everything, and as her boyfriend she probably should have told him but the blonde knew she was lacking in the girlfriend department. She was not the type to open completely up to many people. Only three to be honest. Even with her friends from the DEO, J'onn, Bruce, the only ones she truly opened to after all this time were the three in her family and only recently Clark. Despite that she had kept secrets from those four for years. She didn't tell them and it never occurred to her to tell Barry. Kara did not answer to anyone in the past few years except her parents and Alex and she lied to them constantly.

She supposed she would have to work on this. Maybe. Honestly Kara was not positive she wanted Barry to stay around and debated several ways to push him away. For the moment, she made clear that he needed to get back to his job and assured him she wouldn't be going anywhere besides meetings.

Because of the ankle bracelet, Kara did not hear Eliza walk into the room, standing for who knew how long, watching her from the doorway.

"Planning on moving the bed again?" her mother asked with some amusement, startling Kara.

"Hey! Hi, uh...yeah. Maybe. I don't know. Nothing I do feels right."

"Maybe you aren't ready. I realize, despite her denials, that Alex can't wait to get out of the house and in here, but maybe you should give it a week. There is no rush to sleep here."

Kara shook her head. She wasn't in a rush, but it felt like putting this move off would be a step back for her. She had too many of those already.

"No. I am doing this. You told me not to let this latest set back get in my way of living, so I'm not. I am going to do this." Kara told her, hoping to convince herself.

Eliza walked into the room from her perch at the doorway and looked closely at Kara. Kara would not meet her eyes, hating the way Eliza seemed to look into her soul at times.

"You have been sad, Kara."

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "Am I not supposed to be?"

The woman shook her head. "Of course, I can understand why you are. But you can't let it beat you. You have worked so hard to get where you are..."

"Where I was." Kara cut in. "Everything as changed. Leslie told me to keep my routines but why? I may be able to dim my powers but running doesn't exactly get my blood flowing since I don't technically have blood or a heart for that matter. I can't calm down for any type of meditation. This damn ring is begging me to use it. It talks to me. At night, when I try and sleep, it keeps me up. I am going to have to talk to Gardner. I have questions but I don't know if its safe for me to see him. If he tries to assert some dominance or leadership over me I will kill him. I know I will, I don't want to but I wouldn't be able to help it."

Eliza shook her head. "He wouldn't. He has been very helpful."

"But nothing has helped, has it?" Kara asked, already knowing the answer.

"Alex is close to figuring out something to help you sleep. As far as everything else, we are going to figure out a way to get that ring off you and return you to your normal state. I won't rest..."

"Maybe you should." Kara interrupted her. "Maybe everyone should go back to work. You said it yourself, with my powers dimmed all this ring will do is give me different gifts. I can still lead somewhat of a normal life. You said that. Just let it go. I'll keep a crystal on me and learn to deal with the ring."

Eliza shook her head. "You wouldn't be happy. I want you happy. We were getting there, Kara. We aren't stopping now. I do have some good news. I am 100 percent certain you can have sex without hurting Barry."

"Mom!" Kara shouted, her red tint now having nothing to do with the ring. "What the hell?"

"Like you weren't wondering." Eliza told her with a grin and walked around the room, taking it all in. She stopped at a box and began unpacking it, taking clothes towards the dresser. "I forget, do you like your underclothes with the brightest, or lightest colors on top?"

Kara shook her head and smiled. Eliza did have a way of making her smile, usually.

"Lightest on top, starting with blues, followed by pinks, yellows, purples and reds."

"No green?" the woman asked.

"I burned everything green I had." Kara told her quickly. Even the color made her want to attack who she considered cowards.

"Kara, you can't blame an entire color on the actions of a few people." Eliza chided her teasingly. She had no love for the Greens either but at least they had enough sense to stay away now. She wanted Kara to go through the rest of her life without killing again but she knew what would happen if a green power ring showed up.

Kara called Barry before lights out. She was not surprised that he sounded tired. The man had to be exhausted. Alex was exhausted but she wouldn't leave the Fortress. Kara had to go in tonight and pull her away from some crystal project with Kelex. The blonde knew the answers weren't there. Krypton had no record of Oa or the Lanterns, probably because they were best at making themselves scarce when trouble arrived.

Kara sat by her window, watching the moonlight shine down across the ocean. Even with the ankle bracelet on, that was beginning to itch, it was so quiet, she had no problem hearing the change in Alex's breathing and her mumbling. It was 1 AM and Alex had only been asleep for an hour. Kara didn't bother trying.

Walking into Alex's new bedroom, she sat down next to her sister's head and ran her fingers through her short hair.

"It's Doomsday. We can't beat it. Run, Kara. Damn it, run! I'm hit, run, get away!" Alex began screaming, sitting up and reaching for a gun that wasn't there. Kara wrapped her in her arms and whispered to her.

"Hey, I got you. Alex, calm down. Its me. I got you."

Alex calmed quickly, recognizing the feel of her sister's arms.

"He's alive." she whispered.

"No, he is dead. We did it." Kara told her quietly.

Alex shook her head and touched Kara's cheek. "You are really here? You aren't dead?"

"I'm really here. You were just having a nightmare. Its over. Lay down and I'll stay with you. I promise."

Alex clutched at Kara's collar and pulled her down, holding her tight. It took her thirty minutes to get back to sleep again. She mumbled twice more but never woke from a nightmare. Not for the first time, Kara wondered how long it would be until Jessica had Shay give Alex a sedative and anxiety meds. Supergirl was not the only one who had seen horrible things. Alex had been with her through many of them. She had seen the Joker's victims, she had seen the results of genocide and civil war, seen the path of destruction rogue aliens had left behind. She had been in brutal fights against aliens, with the DEO and Supergirl.

She now had Doomsday's memory haunting her sleep. She probably had dreams of Ysmault. She did spend five days on that hellscape.

The next day, Kara did not leave the house, except to sit on the porch and listen to the waves crashing into the cliff her house sat atop. The ring was still humming and she was very, very tired but sleep would not come. She managed to eat pasta but it tasted horrible. Everything tasted horrible.

This was her life now.

She hated it. She had her dream home but of course the rest of her life crashed down onto her finger.

Barry had called and asked to see her that night, but Kara lied and told him she was tired and had been managing to get some sleep and needed more.

She wasn't sure he believed her.

It wasn't that the blonde didn't want to see him, but she had many decisions to make and Barry always confused her. Just like when they first met, she knew she should stay away but when he was near her, what she knew she should do, usually took a backseat to what she wanted to do. Instead she decided to keep her distance until she figured out exactly what it was that needed to happen.

The next night, after Alex had gone to sleep once again, this time with the help of a sleeping pill Jess had given her, Barry entered the Fortress and asked to see her there.

Kara moved to her basement and activated the transport, entering the giant crystal structure. It had been a couple days but the holograms still showed the red ring, the databanks were dedicated to classifying the energy running through her veins and Alex's work station had her brain mapped out in a hologram. It was like a living light museum dedicated to her brain and physiology.

"It's ten. I thought as tired as you have been, you may be getting much needed rest." she told him. He did look like hell and probably hadn't shaved in at least a week.

"I sleep better with you. I thought since you don't like Central City and I am not allowed in your house, even though I know you aren't sleeping, we might meet in a middle ground and bunk here."

"No. Go home and get some sleep. You don't need me keeping you up."

Barry nodded his head and approached her, stepping closely and looking her in the eyes.

"You ever considered letting me decide what I need? Or are you always going to make decisions about what I need? I can make my own decisions and I decided that I want to be near you tonight. You are my girlfriend so I'm thinking I'm not totally off base with that desire. I realize it might interfere with you avoiding me all week..."

"What do you want? What do you really want?" Kara interrupted.

Barry shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't I just tell you?"

"What do you want out of life, I mean? Those transporters are there so people I love can get to the Fortress in a hurry. How do you picture us, Barry? We going to split residences? Spend the night at my house and you just transport back to work in the morning? Everybody tells me to stay out of this hero business but I'm in a relationship with the Flash. How is that going to work out long term? Do you ever want kids? Even far down the road? Because I got news for you, even if I could have kids, I don't want any, ever. Are you ever going to leave Central City? You think you could give up Central City to live in some small coastal town with less than ten thousand people in it? Where do you think this is going?"

Barry had suspected this was coming when she began distancing herself since she returned. Maybe he shouldn't have forced this conversation this late. It was too late to back out now.

"You want as normal as possible? Fine, I'll quit being the Flash. I'll leave Central City..."

"Why!?" Kara yelled, her ring glowing brighter.

"Because I don't want to lose another person I love and everything else is not as important as you. You're right, we do have to decide one day and I know you would never leave Midvale for Central City. I wouldn't ask you to anymore than you would ask me to leave Central City. It's my call and I want to be where you are. And bringing up kids? Really? That's the best you got? Who the hell ever said anything about kids? I just want you to stop pushing me away. I never said I wanted kids either. You are making up whatever reason you can to justify being alone."

"What about what I want? Have you ever considered that maybe I just don't want anyone? That a relationship with a founding member of the Justice League isn't what I want or need? You tell me to stop pushing you..."

"Tell me right now that you don't love me. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want me and mean it. If you do, you will never have to see me again, but this stops now. You either let me back in or shut me out completely but I won't go away unless you really want me too."

Kara braced herself, ready to tell him to go to hell. She felt energy pulsating in her. The ring was practically begging her to attack him. He had challenged her in her own Fortress. She would break him in the best way she knew how. She would tell him to go away for good. It worked with Dante years before and it would work now.

Instead of her mouth saying the words, the look in his eyes wouldn't let her tell him what she should have said. Kara tried, she really tried but her mouth wouldn't speak.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Barry told her.

Kara screamed and turned away from him, molten plasma and fire from her mouth flowing into the monitor behind her. The supposedly indestructible material burned to nothing, not even ashes remaining.

The girl shut her mouth and fell to her knees, shaking.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen." she whispered.

"Feel better though?" Barry asked, not intimidated. "Are we sleeping in my bed or yours? Either way, I am tired and you have blown enough fire tonight so we need to hit a sack somewhere."

Kara shook her head, stood up and beckoned for him to follow. The two entered the transport and exited the door in her basement.

"I should make you sleep down here." she grumbled. "You can't challenge me. I could have hurt you."

"You aren't fast enough to hurt me. If I don't challenge you, who will?"

"Everybody else who lives in Midvale and my therapist apparently." Kara told him and took his hand, leading to the bedroom.

She walked into the bathroom suite connected to her room and debated whether she should take her mother's scientific discovery as fact. The sound of snoring cut off any further thoughts of whether he wanted to partake in those activities. The girl walked into her bedroom to find Barry under the covers on his typical side of the bed he usually slept on at his apartment or in the hotels they had stayed at.

Kara shook her head with a grin and slid under the covers, laying on her side with her back to his chest. Even in his slightly comatose like state, his arm slipped around her waist.

The girl relaxed, her mouth still tingling from the plasma she vomited and had no doubt would get her a talking to from her mother in the morning. Kara knew it was gone but the reaction had been instinctual. She was frustrated and being challenged and her body revolted.

Would it get better? Would it get worse?

Kara knew Alex could calm her and apparently Barry was safe for now, but for how long? Would she trip over his shoes one day and send him out the window with a blast of pure, incinerating energy? He wasn't faster than the speed of light. Maybe he was. It didn't matter. All that mattered was tonight at this moment she was beginning to feel better. She may not have done what she should have done, but he knew she loved him. She still had no idea why he loved her as much as he did. She had never done anything to deserve it.

Maybe she just got lucky and should shut up and not ask any questions.

Of course considering Barry's luck, maybe she was just more of the same for him.

Would he quit being the Flash? Would he give up his job and the city he loved if she wanted?

Yes, he would, and that scared the hell out of her.

Regardless, she let herself enjoy his arms and for the first time since the red ring was placed on her finger, she slept till sunrise.

To her surprise, Alex had already left. A check in with Kelex confirmed that her older sister was in the Fortress, hard at work with her father. She had no doubt Eliza would be there as soon as Clark was up.

Kara entered the shower and on her way out, she smelt bacon, even from upstairs. Moving down quickly, too fast, even without her powers, she found her boyfriend frying bacon and eggs.

"I realize you are all about healthy breakfasts but Eliza isn't here so I was thinking you could cheat today?" he asked, knowing he had her undivided attention and enjoying the longing on her face. Perhaps this food would be more edible than the whole grain pasta she had been consuming that tasted like paper.

It was slightly better. Her stomach held it down, despite being more cholesterol than she had consumed in months. With a kiss she sent him on his way to the revolving door known as the Fortress of Solitude that frequently became very crowded. Kara took a deep breath after he disappeared and considered what to do with her day.

Having absolutely no answer, she checked with Kelex who assured her Gardner was still at the Block, having his ring studied by astrophysicists and engineers. She decided to spend some time in the Fortress, going over some schematics she had drawn for upgrades to Kelex. The little guy had proven to be a hero time and time again and Kara thought maybe it was time for him to have a hero's body. Plus now that her house was done, she desperately needed a project and playing with Kelex would pass the time.

Entering the Fortress, she noted her Dad and Alex were in a back corner, looking once again at what she believed was a hologram of her brain, next to DNA strands.

Then she noticed it on Alex's work bench she usually preferred.

It was pretty, a half circle, a tiara in a way, but instead of diamonds it had several multi colored crystals directly over the solid clear crystal ring. She couldn't help but be humored.

"Alex, are you planning on making me dress like a princess again for Halloween? I don't think a crystal tiara is needed."

Kara tried it on, not listening to Alex who was yelling at her not to put the tiara on her head.

The blonde woke from darkness, having no idea how long she had been out. She recognized she was lying on one of the exam tables in the Fortress and had no idea how she got there. Above her was the cellular scanner Jeremiah used to study the limits of her solar absorption rates three years ago.

"Did someone knock me out?" she asked, her mouth dry and definitely wondering how long she had been out now."

Alex cleared her throat, deciding since she thought it was her fault and her project she would be the one to explain.

"I didn't expect you because you haven't exactly been here. I...uh...I left that out. I probably should have told you not to wear it sooner. How do you feel?"

"I feel...good. How long was I out?"

"8 hours." Alex answered sheepishly.

"How?" Kara asked, sitting up slowly.

"It was an idea I had. Your brain can be manipulated, changed in a way. I get that you are immune to mental attacks but the Black Mercy changed your brainwaves severely. It modified your brain while attached to you. The crystals allowed us to match brainwaves so I could enter your head. We thought without medication because of your blood that we were pretty much screwed. Then I realized that blood is just a transportation system to get the drugs to your brain so it can begin, in essence, altering it. I should have figured it out sooner. I've been trying to find a way to skip the transportation system and directly affect your brain. I think I can replicate your meds by having you use the one I am working on twice a day for a few minutes and...I guess the sedative worked after a second. We were going to do more studies on it, artificial constructs, brain mapping...you kind of skipped over that part."

Kara tried to keep up with what she was saying but truthfully, she was still a bit foggy, as she usually was after a long, dreamless sleep.

"You used a crystal headband to knock me out by changing my brain waves?"

"Not really! I mean, yeah, sort of, but its not your brainwaves as much as the physical nature of the brain. Sedatives work by increasing the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid. I basically modified these crystals so they would cause your brain to react to the same way it did to the Black Mercy. Only instead of putting you in a perfect dream state, I was able to affect your brain chemistry, stimulate it enough that GABAs would increase on their own. It happened a bit too fast, too much stimulation, but it did work. So, basically we get the effects of the drugs without the drug itself having to create GABAs."

Kara smiled, thinking about the possibility of getting sleep on a regular basis. Perhaps she wouldn't feel so run down and reliant on the ring for energy.

"So I can use this right away?" she asked excitedly. "Whenever I want sleep, I just slip it on?"

Jeremiah shook his head. "Not until we make a few more tests runs on 4D models. Alex and I have been double checking our work to make this safe."

"And," Alex added. "I think if this works I can also use another band to manipulate the neurotransmitters in your brain to block the reabsorption of serotonin, increasing the levels in your brain and helping with the depression and anxiety. I believe with multiple use of the bands we can recreate your anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds effects. It will have to be a slow build up so you are still going to have to wear those bands three times a day but I am confident it will work. Like the medications though, we may go through some side effects so you will be watched closely."

Kara slipped off the slab she had lay on and wrapped Alex in her arms, holding her as tightly as possible. Even with a bracelet on, her ring still gave her quite a bit of strength and she had to be careful.

"You are amazing." Kara whispered in her sister's ear.

Alex nodded her head. "Yeah, I am. Now let me get back to work. I will fine tune the sedative band and I have a few more days of tests to run on the others. Just hold on a few more days and we will get there, okay? Mom, Dad, Shay, we are all trying to get this ring off you safely. I know you don't think its possible but you thought you would never be able to take meds again. We found a way around it. Have some hope, okay?"

Kara promised she would and meant it. For the first time since she drug herself out of that blood lake on Ysmault, she felt anything could be possible. Instead of sitting on her front porch, she went to her work bench and began drawing schematics for Kelex and thinking of the materials she would need to make her robot look better.

Unfortunately her long sleep that day and the band not ready for further use for a few days meant another night of being awake. Barry had called grumpily, saying he was at a double homicide and wouldn't make it over that night. Alex wasn't mumbling, having taken an old fashioned sedative herself and probably wouldn't need Kara that night.

Instead the girl sat on her front porch with Streaky and listened to the waves, lost in her thoughts. As usual her thoughts were on the ring and the damn thing was itching to be used once again. She thought of going to the edge of the cliff and spewing fire into the ocean, testing how far she could use this new weapon in the event she needed it.

The blonde was near the edge when a red glow dropped from above. Kara jumped back, her clothes turning into the suit she had worn before, this time a black bodysuit with a blood red cape and thigh high boots. Her ring glowed brightly and she prepared for battle.

The girl relaxed when a figure slowly landed in front of her. Kara thought she recognized her as one of the Reds who were with Gardner when they fought Doomsday. The memories of that battle were still jumbled but she was certain she had seen this woman before.

"Who are you?"

The woman touched the ground and Kara took a good look at her. It was dark but she believed her skin was blue and bones protruded from her back in the shape of what used to be wings. She wore what amounted to a one piece bathing suit with long sleeves, like an outfit Kara had made long ago that her Dad would kill her if he saw her in it. The suit was a dark red, in contrast to her blue skin but her black tall boots completed the shadowy look. She also wore some sort of black mask over her eyes and skull but a bit of dark hair, wrapped in a ponytail, hung from the back.

"I'm Bleez. I am one of us. Relax and listen to your ring. It knows I am no threat to your power. Take off that ankle bracelet."

Kara looked down at her leg. The bracelet was under whatever boot she had conjured up.

"Why?"

"Because you are 25. I get that you want to age but your level of power is too much for a human body. You have so much more power than us, you will eventually start to break down. You need to replenish your strength, or you won't make it past thirty. Take it off a few times a day for a few minutes. For now, just take it off and leave it here. We have a lot to do tonight."

Kara looked at her suspiciously, wondering if the woman was telling her the truth. Of course why would she lie? If she was up to no good, she would want Kara weakened, not stronger.

"I'm not sure how to take this boot..."

Before she could finish the sentence, the red ankle bracelet was on the ground.

"You have so much to learn. Gardner thinks he can figure out a way to get the ring off. Over one hundred Reds are searching the universe for a blue. Even the Greens are helping, wanting that ring off you as quickly as possible. Did you know there has been a mass exodus of aliens from Earth in the last week? News travels fast, all over the Universe."

"I'm getting rid of this thing, and I am going to live." Kara told her, trying to sound confident.

"Hope is good." Bleez agreed. "It was the emotion that drove Blue Lanterns. But hope without willpower is weak and Jordan failed. They are dead. The ring needs to be used. Learn to use it, let it loose, or it will constantly hound you. You have to release the power, or it will eventually release itself."

Kara thought of this, wondering if using the power really would stop the whispering, the urge to use it constantly.

"How long have you been on Earth? How do you speak English so well?" she asked instead, hoping to change the subject.

Bleez laughed. It was a beautiful sound, not like the evil cackle Kara would have suspected.

"As I said, you have so much to learn. I am not speaking English. Neither are you. You are speaking Kryptonese and I am speaking Havenese. The rings allow us to understand each other. So what about it? Want to have a little fun tonight? I promised myself I would help you. This is me helping you the best way I know how."

Kara thought about it for a moment. Looking back at the house, she used her vision and hearing to find Alex sleeping soundly.

"I have to be back before my sister wakes."

"Of course." Bleez agreed. "Just a bit of fun. Where would you like to go?"

That question threw Kara off guard.

"I thought I was following you?"

Bleez shook her head. "The first thing you need to learn is how to get around the universe. Think of where you want to go and let the ring guide you. It will open a portal, send you where you desire to go. So what about it? Where do you want to go? I am sure you could use a good fight. The frustration of fighting the thing you called Doomsday must be weighing on your mind. You don't remember beating him, you only remember losing. Aren't you in the mood to pick a fight? I know I am."

Some part of Kara knew this was wrong, but the more this woman talked, the better the ring felt. It was almost as if she was feeling peace for the first time, not at odds with it.

"I have no idea where to go. War World?"

Bleez shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose. That may get us one fight but most of those so called gladiators will run when they see us. What about a race that is too stupid to run? I happen to know that right now, the White Martians are celebrating a holiday. They are celebrating the day they rose up and began the massacre of the Greens. They are all gathered together, thousands of them, commemorating the destruction of an entire race. You are friends with the last Green Martian, right? They slaughtered his family, his daughters, his race and now are having a party."

Celebrating? Celebrating wiping out a race, including children, herding them into concentration camps?

"How do I get there?" Kara asked, righteous indignation flaring inside her.

Bleez smiled approvingly. "I knew you would be fun. Think about Mars, let your ring do what is natural. Its as easy as you make it."

Kara did so, raising her fist, energy pouring out, making a breach of red swirling energy. She flew through it with no hesitation and arrived over the red planet, Bleez by her side.

"With blood and rage of crimson red, ripped from a corpse so freshly dead." Bleez whispered, her face grim but with a hint of excitement in her eyes.

"Together with out hellish hate, we will burn you all, that is your fate." Kara finished, smiling for the first time that night.

"Let's show them the true power of the Red Lanterns." the blue skinned alien told her and flew towards the planet's surface.

On the surface there were indeed thousands of White Martians surrounding a great pyramid, chanting their prayers to their god. The high priest of the White Martians stood atop the structure, speaking of the great victory against the Greens over 300 years before.

The Whites watched a red circle open in the sky over the pyramid. Seconds later a beam of red light incinerated their high priest and continued to flow into the pyramid. They listened to the rumble, felt the ground shake and then were blown far back or knocked straight to the ground as the shattered structure sent ancient blocks into the bodies.

The White Martians slowly stood up and looked at the ruins where their most sacred temple had stood.

In the middle were two female Red Lanterns.

The blonde one was recognized by all. Kara Zor El and J'onn Jonzz were the number one targets of any Whites traveling to Earth. None had succeeded, all had died, so the high council stopped sending assassins.

Now she was here.

And a Red Lantern.

Kara smiled, enjoying the absolute stillness of the Martians and practically smelling their fear.

Bleez was right, they were too stupid to run.

"Good evening boys. Sorry about crashing your party but I missed you." Kara told them. "Now who wants to have some fun?"

 **Central City**

Barry had been examining the burnt limo and the remains inside for hours, looking for any accelerant, any fragment of a bomb, anything that could explain how a limo exploded. The problem was the bodies. The bodies were in one piece, not blown apart like one would suspect in an explosion. Usually something was torn off even if it was as small as a finger. The driver and the lone passenger, a Congressman no less, had been traveling down the highway circling Central City and according to witnesses the entire vehicle burst into flames, as if the outside and inside were covered in kerosene and someone dropped a match.

"So, what do you think? Car bomb? Mechanical failure?" Joe asked, standing next to Barry.

The man shook his head.

"A mechanical failure would have started in one place and spread. The driver would have had time to pull over. According to the witnesses the entire car went up in flames like it was paper. A bomb would have caught everyone's notice but the cars driving beside this one were not affected, no shattered windows, no loud pops, nothing until the car hit the side of the road and then the gas tank exploded. The burn patterns are all wrong. Cars don't burn like this. Nothing metal does."

"Rory?" Joe asked hesitantly. He and Snart had agreed to stay out of Central City and hadn't been heard from in months.

"Killing a Congressman? This isn't his style and not even his gun could do this." Barry told him, having already thought of this.

Joe shook his head. He had almost been hoping it was Mick Rory.

"So...metahuman." the man said with a sigh of frustration. It had been quiet on the metahuman front in Central City. He supposed it was too good to last.

Barry shrugged his shoulders. "Could be a meta, or it could be an alien. From what I have read, the only ones who can manipulate fire like this are a race called the Infernians. If one of them is here, he or she could send a fireball into the car and manipulate it easily to engulf the outside and inside at once. From what I understand since word has gotten out about Kara, aliens are getting off Earth in record numbers, but a few are still around. Infernians look human, so finding one by appearance is out. My money would be on one of those, instead of a meta but either is a possibility. One thing that isn't possible is this happening because of a bomb or mechanical defect."

Joe shook his head, suspecting this case had just became a bigger nightmare. A high profile Congressman had died in mysterious, gruesome circumstances and now an alien could possibly be involved.

"Why would an alien want to kill a Congressman?"

"I don't know, Joe. You are the detective so go detect. When you figure it out let me know and I can take it down."

Barry walked away frustrated, Joe following in his wake.

"Hey, what's wrong? I get that you are upset about what happened to Kara, but you have been strange today. Didn't you stay with her last night?"

Barry continued walking until he was away from the scene and others. Once he was certain they were alone, he talked to Joe. He needed to talk to someone and Jess just didn't seem like the right person. She was hesitant to talk about his relationship with Kara, knowing so much about her.

"Yeah, I saw her last night. We feel asleep and had breakfast in the morning, then I came back to work." he told him, sounding testy.

"Okay, continue. I know you Barry. Is it because of the announcement she made last week? That statement she gave did a lot for people. Rehab facilities and mental health clinics are seeing more new patients than ever, according to Iris. Are you angry she didn't tell you first?"

Barry thought for a moment. Was that what had been bothering him?

No, it wasn't.

"Things are just a mess, Joe. She has this ring stuck on her that has her on edge. She already had temper problems but was doing a lot better. The last few months she had been so happy. Now...I get it. She can't help it I guess. It still bothers me. Last week, she got upset about something and snapped at Alex. Alex got into her face and told her to calm down. No surprise, Kara did calm down. Her damn ring even stopped glowing. Alex can always get through to her. Last night, she tried to push me away again. When I refused she became so frustrated she blew fire from her mouth. She had turned away, she didn't mean to but it still bothers me. Why can her sister get into her face and tell her to calm down and Kara obeys? If her parents tell her to calm down, she does. Me? She spits fire."

Joe looked at him with wide eyes. "I...I thought she blew...ice out of her mouth?"

"She can probably do that too." Barry guessed. "It isn't that she blows fire when she is angry at me. Its that those three tell her to do something and she does it. If they tell her to calm down, then she does. Her first reaction when something is wrong is to run to them, especially Alex. Her first reaction to me is to push me away. Its getting old. I know she loves me, so why is she constantly trying to distance herself from me when she doesn't do it to them?"

Barry crossed his arms and looked at the sky. He used to enjoy looking at the stars but tonight they just reminded him of how complicated everyone is.

"Cameron Chase, Alex's ex, I met her one time. She was kind of a bitch but I think what she said was true. She told me I would always be second to Alex."

Joe shook his head, half of him wishing Barry had never met Kara Danvers, but the other half knowing that Barry would never be with anyone but her. He had only met her once at S.T.A.R and his house later that evening, but she seemed so cheerful, almost like sunshine on a cloudy day. He had also learned or pieced enough from Barry to know that she was not okay, that some of it, if not most of it had been an act. Her announcement last week confirmed to him that Kara Danvers had many, many problems and from he understood about this red ring, they had only gotten worse.

"Maybe its not about being second or first. You can't quantify love that way, Barry. You have been with her through some tough times but Alex and her parents have been with her since she landed here. From what little Iris and you have told me, the way she talked about them over dinner, its kind of obvious she has a hero worship thing for them. When that ring attached to her you told me despite everything she was protecting Alex. Despite everything though, you are the one she recognized, remembered your name and talked to. That was you, not the Flash. It wasn't because of some rank you had in her affections. She obviously loves you."

"Then why is she constantly pushing me away?!"

"Probably because she loves you and thinks she is doing what is best for you. Maybe you should give her space, make her realize how much she needs you. She can come to you on her own terms."

Barry laughed, imagining what would happen if he gave her space. "She wouldn't come to me. She stayed away from me for six years thinking she was protecting me. I don't know what it is, Joe. She can be moody, angry, short fused, sarcastic, but I still love her. When things are going well, before this happened, I got to see the real her, the one I met in National City six years ago. But whenever something sets her back, she falls right back to the person she thinks she is."

Joe took in the frustrated, very fatigued face of his son. He felt for the boy. Barry's struggles reminded him of his own relationship with his ex-wife.

"I'm not suggesting that you stop speaking to her. I'm just saying that you might be pushing too hard and if she realized how much she needs you around, and she does need you around, then she might come to you with less frustration. Just give it some thought. You will figure it out."

Barry slightly agreed and understood where he was coming from but wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. Perhaps it was the right thing to do but there was also a risk that she would shut him out completely.

"So you going to call your Justice League buddies in to help track down this alien?" Joe asked.

Barry thought for a moment and shook his head. "No. We only do that in dire emergencies. I'm going to work with Wally and the gang to stop this. You are going to need to prepare a fire proof cell or at least test the meta cells. I'm also wearing my old suit."

That caught Joe by surprise.

"Why would you do that? Isn't the one you have fire proof?"

Barry shrugged his shoulders. "Because she can't have it both ways. She can't push me away and then watch every move I make. I need to get Cisco and Caitlin up. Who knows who this alien could be targeting next. When you have an idea, let us know. I need to work with Wally on funnels and Cisco can start working on finding this Infernian or meta, checking for hot spots around the city. If she is too strong we are going to have to see if Caitlin is ready for a field test."

 **Mars**

Guy Gardner had woken up from a restless sleep, his ring humming as it had not done in a very long time. The man groggily stepped outside, wondering where the danger was, who would be coming after him, what sort of energy spike could he possibly be picking up. Closing his eyes, he searched, let his mind sync up with the ring more so than normal.

It was red energy.

Rage.

A lot of it.

His first thought drifted to Kara Zor El once again rampaging on Earth.

It was Kara but she was not on Earth and she was not alone.

In seconds, Gardner was suited up and let his ring open a portal to where she was.

He landed in what appeared to be hell but recognized as Mars. The red dirt of the planet was littered with debris and hundreds of body parts that use to belong to White Martians. He heard screaming and his blood ran cold.

Thousands of White Martians were attacking two females from all directions.

Thousands were falling, burning to ash, by the fire of Kara Zor El, her heat vision, her fire breath and the ring on her finger. She was back to back with Bleez and the two women were wiping out whoever approached them, burning them without remorse or restraint.

Bleez and Kara broke, Kara wading into the oncoming army with a gleeful smile on her face, ripping through Martians with her hands, exploding her energy field, killing multiple enemies at once.

Bleez had taken to the sky and was raining hell down on the white creatures below, but Kara stayed on the ground, enjoying the feel of taking the lives of these genocidal monsters and in the back of her mind, knowing she could do this to the entire planet, wipe the ones who killed J'onns family out of existence completely.

Gardner hit a White Martian who had been flying towards Bleez from behind her. Bleez noticed and smiled brightly.

"Guy! I was wondering when you would join the party. Look at her. She is magnificent."

Guy admitted he was in awe of her. White Martians were some of the toughest creatures in the Universe and they practically exploded just by being near her. Kara was taking her time, toying with them, until they finally got the message and began running.

"This is helping her control the ring?!" Gardner yelled at his second in command.

"She had to use it or it would eat her up. You should have told her this. Would you rather she rampages on what few alien criminals left on Earth, or have fun here?"

Gardner shook his head, feeling himself losing his own temper and being drawn to the battle himself. His ring desperately wanted to join in.

"She used it. You couldn't have taken her to the moon to blast rocks or something? We have to end this before she wipes out the whole race and scours the planet."

Bleez shrugged her shoulders. "Or we could help her. You know what kind of scum these creatures are. The universe would be better off without them."

Gardner shook his head. Yeah, the universe would be better without the Whites but Kara Zor El wouldn't be better, after she calmed down and realized she wiped them all out. It looked like she had killed close to a thousand or so already, though he had no doubt some bodies were just burned to nothing beyond a body count.

"Bleez, we are going to have a serious talk when we get back to Earth. The last damn thing anyone needs is another Lantern Civil War."

The leader of the Red Lanterns flew into the red storm that was ripping through and now chasing the retreating White Martians. He knew this could possibly really hurt, or even get him killed but he had to try, or Kara could be here for months, tracking them under the planet's surface where they would no doubt hide.

He landed in front of her, barely ducking to avoid her final blast. The White, seeing a Red in the air and Kara and Guy Gardner on the ground, took advantage of the break in destructive power and ran faster.

"Get out of here, Gardner?" Kara hissed. "They have to go. All of them."

Gardner raised his hands. This was not the first time he had to deal with a Red caught up in rage and bloodlust. He was usually strong enough to stop them physically. This time he had to use his brain, not a strong point but he knew what made Kara tick.

"Not here to stop you. Just have some information I thought you might want."

That caught Kara's attention. She dropped her hand and her eyes changed from red to blue.

"What is it? There are millions more on this planet, celebrating the destruction of the Green Martians as we speak."

"I know, but its almost dawn in Midvale. Doesn't your sister usually wake at sunrise? You want to be there when she gets out of bed, right? If she sees you are gone, she is going to be upset. This race isn't going anywhere. We can talk about what to do with them later but right now, don't you need to take care of Alex?"

Kara shook her head, trying to calm down. The ring dimmed somewhat and she felt better. Then she looked at the destruction around her.

"What did I do? I mean, I know what I did but...why..."

Bleez landed next to her. "You did what Red Lanterns do. We wipe the universe of scum. The ring will be sated for a while. It must be used occasionally."

Gardner cleared his throat to shut Bleez up. "And the next time we can sit together and figure out a target that is...something. I don't know but let's go back to Earth and remain calm, right Kara? Alex is about to be up. She will tell your parents you aren't home and they will worry. You don't want that, do you?"

Kara shook her head and opened a portal, flying through it quickly, leaving Gardner and Bleez behind. The leader of the Reds looked at his lieutenant, annoyed, bordering on angry but not wanting anymore fights today.

"Really, Bleez?"

"She needs to unleash the ring or her rage will drive her insane. You know this! It is your duty to help her learn to control it and you are neglecting that duty! I said I would help her and I did. I will continue to do so."

"Helping her is unleashing hell on thousands of White Martians?"

Bleez shrugged her shoulders. "What species would you prefer? Did you think moon rocks would suffice?"

"Next time we talk about this!"

'At least you acknowledge there will be a next time." Bleez mumbled and opened her own portal, leaving Gardner alone.

A White Martian stood up, weak after just regenerating, and growled. Gardner rolled his eyes and blew the creature apart before heading to Earth and wondering how he would explain this to the Danvers.

 **Midvale**

Alex woke to find Kara in the kitchen making breakfast. This was good, perhaps her appetite is returning, Alex thought.

Kara sat across from her, concentrating on her food.

Concentrating a bit too hard, considering she was hardly eating any.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"Everything, nothing, the same as usual." Kara responded, still not looking at her but passing a small piece of toast to Streaky who was on the table to Alex's irritation.

"Something happened. Don't lie to me. Do you feel worse than usual this morning? I know you didn't sleep last night considering how much you slept yesterday. Did something happen overnight? Is the ring burning you, or talking again, or..."?

"I went to Mars with another Red after you went to sleep last night and killed over a thousand White Martians." Kara blurted out. "Maybe more. I wasn't really counting."

Alex put her head in her hands and clenched her teeth to stop the scream of frustration she wanted to let loose.

"Anything else you want to tell me?" the older sister asked, not sure if she wanted a truthful answer.

"I uh...I kind of destroyed a Pyramid." Kara sheepishly admitted.

Alex took a deep breath and stood.

"Don't wear a bracelet today. We are starting studies on the anxiety and anti-depressant crystal bands and its time to work on the antipsychotic. Once I have your brain used to working at a supercharged level we can see how it affects you without your powers. Seriously Kara? A thousand?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders.

"I needed to blow off some steam?"


	36. Chapter 36

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 36 Fire**

 **Diaspora**

The advisor to his majesty, the Diaspora ruler, approached the throne with his usual trepidation and fear. He had served the throne for over one hundred cycles around their sun and always been proud of his status.

That changed ten cycles past. The king, once a wise man, benevolent even, had changed. He began wearing a strange armor which made him stronger than any other on the planet, began driving his soldiers harder, killing those he deemed weak and using more and more of the planet's resources to build their military, turning it from a defense of the planet to a conquering force bent on a holy mission to cleanse the universe, make the strong, stronger and the weak dead.

His majesty believed that only when faced with the loss of one's home world could the race truly be challenged. So many peaceful planets, hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions in the farther reaches outside the known universe lived in harmony, never growing stronger, never becoming more. The Diasporans were determined to change that.

"Your Majesty, the annihilation of Draxx has been complete. The planet is ours, the Draxians have all been wiped out except for a few remains hiding in the wild reaches. Our hunters are tracking them now."

The figure on the throne, wrapped in silver armor and a silver helmet which covered most of his reptilian face was pleased and disappointed. His army had performed admirably, taking the planet quickly, but the Draxians were no more, unable to mount any defense. He had liked the race and hoped they would rise to the occasion. It was not to be though.

"Did the Lantern's become involved?" his deep voice asked the nervous man.

"The Green Lantern assigned to the sector did respond but was killed quickly in the battle. Our admirals lay a trap for him and unleashed a crossfire. He was struck by four cruisers at once and disintegrated. His ring did escape but no other Corp have arrived. By the time word reaches Oa, we will have already inhabited the planet. They will not attack then."

The King was not surprised. It would take months for the ring to find another host with all the Draxians dead but for a few. It most likely returned to Oa but it would be too late. The planet was already his and they would not interfere.

"There is also news from Earth. Metahumans and aliens are forming alliances to protect the planet from outside invaders and criminal activity by off worlders. My agents tell me they have attacked drug and weapons trades on the planet, even disrupting Mongul's operations."

The King grinned with approval. Earth had been a weak planet, one in desperate need of either saving or destroying. That changed when Kara Zor El showed herself to the world. Humans had come to rely on her but the man greatly admired the Kryptonian. A lone young alien, wiping out the rest of her race, impressed him. Because of this, he left Earth alone. His interest in Kara Zor El as an entity was limited. She had no powers outside a yellow sun, therefore was useless to someone like him, who attacked planets regardless of the star it revolved around.

Now with metas and aliens working together, her at the lead no doubt, it would be a matter of time before humans fell in line and began cooperating for the betterment of their planet, rather than fighting amongst themselves, leading to their own destruction.

"Interesting, but unsurprising. The strong are following the example of the last daughter of Krypton and she does not appear to be the monster her father was. Perhaps that is one planet that can escape our sacred mission. How have the alien residents responded?"

The advisor swallowed hard. "There has been a recent mass exodus of aliens from Earth, looking for safe havens elsewhere in other galaxies due to an unexpected development. One of Zor El's monsters...the monster, the unkillable one, was released on Earth. Kara Zor El fought the creature and defeated it but only because she acquired a red power ring. She had been taken to Ysmault but returned to Earth. Aliens are frightened, with good reason."

The King stood and approached his subject, searching his eyes for any falsehoods. He detected none.

"Kara Zor El is a Red Lantern? The most powerful ring in the entire Corp and she came in possession of it. Has Gardner or Atrocitus attempted to claim her? Is it believed she will attack the Guardians?"

The advisor shook his head. "There are rumors Atrocitus may be dead and Gardner nor the Reds have attempted to recruit her. They simply want to contain her. They would not be able to defeat her."

The King smiled, satisfied. Zor El had inadvertently created another monster, this one his own daughter. She had been strong but now was a true bringer of destruction. Her natural power magnified, harnessing one of the most powerful weapons since the beginning of time, and strong, no matter what sun she was under, even without the radiation from a yellow sun

"Gather the Fleets, all of them. How long to assemble and reach Earth?"

The advisor feared this would happen but keeping information from the King was akin to death.

"By their Earth's time, perhaps one solar rotation? Depending on the path, possibly less time."

"Excellent. Our fleet shall test this alliance of heroes and metahumans. The planet shall fall or become stronger, as our sacred mission dictates. As far as Kara Zor El, I will engage her myself."

The advisor was shocked but a bit pleased. He did his best to hide that pleasure. He was certain if the King attempted to fight the Kryptonian under a yellow sun, she would kill him and Diaspora would be free of his rule.

"I have no doubt you shall defeat her soundly, your Majesty." he lied, keeping his voice neutral.

The King laughed.

"Defeat her? I cannot defeat her. I am counting on it."

 **The Fortress of Solitude**

Kara sat quietly, waiting for Alex and Kelex to make any adjustments she felt was needed. Jeremiah had not arrived yet, most likely eating breakfast with Clark before Eliza took him to school.

Kara was slightly annoyed at the wires taped to top of her skull and just behind her temples. Alex planned to attempt an anti-depressant and anti-anxiety crystal band and monitor Kara's brain activity closely. This meant Kara would be doing a lot of sitting. She didn't mind. For the first time since this ring had graced her right ring finger she felt completely relaxed. The ring seemed satisfied and truthfully, killing White Martians who were celebrating killing J'onn's family and the Green Martians felt right.

She also knew if Gardner had not stopped her she would still be on Mars. Alex had said nothing else about it and Kara hoped she wouldn't tell her Mom and Dad but doubted that was the case. They would both wonder why Alex was starting the test runs of the bands early.

Alex appeared nervous, making Kara a bit nervous. Her big sister's theory was sound and while Kara's expertise was not biology, she understood the basic concept of what Alex was attempting. She knew Alex and her Dad had spent many days studying every aspect of Kara's brain since she returned from Ysmault.

With the equivalent of drugs, and the occasional use of her ring, Kara felt at least she could have some peace. She had no doubt Leslie would be bugging her to go back to meetings when they met tomorrow and the girl knew she would be right. Despite not being able to get drunk, the desire to drink was still there. Perhaps the ring was her new addiction. Using its full power had been intoxicating.

All in all, except for the knowledge that her heart was useless, her blood was acid and she had an unattractive ring on her finger forever, things were not that bad today.

"You ready?" Alex asked, approaching with the first band.

"Absolutely. Let's change my brain chemistry. I have complete faith in you." Kara assured her.

Alex took a deep breath and placed the band over her forehead, slipping it just over her ears.

Kara tilted her head back and held tight to the arms of the crystal chair she was in.

Then Kara screamed.

Her body stiffened but she did not rise, instead holding onto the arm rests tighter, body shaking, her screams intensifying.

Alex was frozen, in shock and unsure what to do. Then it occurred to her to take the band off.

Before she could, Kara's scream turned into a laugh, complete with tears in her eyes.

"Kara?" Alex asked cautiously.

The blonde controlled her breathing, able to finally stop laughing.

"Kara?" Alex asked again.

"You...you should have seen your face! You...the look...you completely froze." she told her sister, breaking into giggles once again.

Alex's face turned red, a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"You bitch!"

"I know, right?" Kara told her with a big smile.

"You know you started a war, right?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "Bring it, sister. You know I always win."

"Not this time. You will regret that. I should have left you in the hole I found you in! Now cut it out. Sit still, breath normally and let me know if you feel weird at all. Anything different than normal, I mean, freak."

Kara behaved this time, not even noticing Jeremiah arriving and giving Alex an annoyed look that she had started without him.

After twenty minutes Kara was given a break that she took advantage of to organize the materials she would need to start her next project on Kelex. Alex seemed to mistakenly believe Kara would be rebuilding her hover jet. She had no idea that Kara would never build anything like that again. The sight of Alex being blown from the sky was one she would never forget however long she lived.

"Kelex, let's take apart Project Sundown and start refurbishing the material into some real appendages for you." she ordered.

"I am afraid I cannot do so, Kara. Alex has taken over Project Sundown, refitting it for her body and arming it. I have been unlocking the theoretical flight ability of Nth metal certain Thanagarian societies use. If you could assist me in determining the metallurgy and other potential uses, she would have the..."

"Enough!" Kara snapped. "Alex! Get over here!"

"I think you should come here." Eliza's calm voice responded. It was too calm and she had heard that tone from Eliza before.

Kara dipped her head knowing what was coming. Perhaps the joke on Alex was ill timed since she had apparently been busted. She walked around the crystal walls separating work spaces to find her parents and sister sitting in chairs, an empty chair in front of them, and took the seat.

"So Guy Gardner came to see us this morning." Eliza started off. "We are going to assume Alex knows and just hasn't had the chance to tell us yet but planned to."

Alex nodded her head, crossing her arms, with a look reserved for Kara that also told her silently that she should lie. "I was absolutely going to tell you. Because of her behavior I thought it would be best to start the trials this morning without delay and tell you both when you arrived. Isn't that what I told you, Kara? That we all had to talk about this?"

Considering what she did to Alex, no matter how much it amused her, the blonde figured she would support her sister. Perhaps she wouldn't hold a grudge.

"Yes, Alex told me she wanted to wait until we were all together. I agreed it would best if we talked about it as a family, and Alex agreed this would be the place to do that. Isn't that right, Alex?"

Jeremiah shook his head. "Cut the crap, you two. Over a thousand, Kara? I get that you hate White Martians, but this superhero stuff..."

"That was not superhero stuff. I said I would quit being Supergirl. No one ever said I couldn't go to Mars and kill White Martians."

"It was understood!" Eliza nearly shouted. "White Martians? They are the only creatures that have ever been able to injure you and you thought it was a good idea to pick a fight on their home planet? How many panic attacks do you want me to have?!"

Kara closed her eyes, expecting this reaction and wondering how they would feel about her if she killed Gardner.

"You flew to Mars with an alien you didn't know and engaged them during a massive gathering!" Eliza continued her rundown of events.

The girl began nodding her head, visually agreeing with Eliza. It was a trick that usually appeased the woman, making her think Kara agreed with everything she said and was very contrite.

Eliza seeming to calm down, having said what she wanted, Kara looked at Alex who had crossed her arms and stared angrily at her trying to hide a satisfied grin. Despite what the older sister claimed, Kara knew she secretly enjoyed it when Kara was in trouble.

"Absolutely. You didn't know this Bleez. You still don't." Alex added on, egging it on.

"Alex is weaponizing a Kryptonian battle suit I had designed last year and trying to figure out how to make it fly using properties of Nth metal." Kara told the parents. "We were supposed to be out of the whole crime fighting, alien fighting thing. You should ask her why she is doing that, right? Like right now, ask her. I just found out a few seconds before I came over here. We should all talk about this. What do you have to say for yourself, Alex?"

Alex was no longer hiding a grin behind an angry face. Now the parents were looking at their oldest daughter.

"I...I...Kara faked being hurt when I put the first band on her this morning. She screamed and thought it was funny and...and..."

"Enough!" Jeremiah shouted. "Both of you! Kara, Gardner told us that you would have to use the ring occasionally. You can go to the Moon, with him and let loose all you need. No more mass killings! Do we understand each other?"

Kara dropped her head. "But it was White Martians." she whined. "White Martians don't count. Besides they couldn't hurt me. They couldn't even get near me. You wouldn't believe the power I had... and I am totally not helping my case right now, am I?"

Jeremiah shook his head. "No, you aren't. We all know what they did to J'onn, but you are trying to find peace and slaughtering thousands of those bastards isn't going to give you peace. When you need a release, go with Gardner, no killing, no matter what species. That is final. I may not be able to make you move back in with us but we can move in with you, understand? Every night, the sedative band goes on at 10 PM. I will adjust it today, so it doesn't hit you as hard and fast but I want to know you are both sleeping at night. Alex is taking her meds and you are taking your...bands."

In the middle of the discussion of her recent run on the wild side, Kara caught something Alex probably didn't want her to know.

"I thought you just took a sedative last night. How many meds are you taking, Alex?"

Alex grimaced and looked at her father who had yet to learn to keep his mouth shut. Eliza could have cared less and answered.

"Jessica and Shay have her taking medication for anxiety, Kara. Both have you have been through a lot. She is also taking a sedative...this is ridiculous. I get that Leslie doesn't want you having two different therapists but we need to start having family counseling sessions. There is too much going on. We must be one and already we are keeping secrets. This has to stop. We have never had secrets between the four of us. We couldn't afford it, right? We protected each other from the world. The last few years, ever since Myriad, there have been too many secrets. We either start back with Jessica once a week or Leslie will have to take the reins. For right now, if that ring starts bothering you, then you will go with Gardner and only Gardner, to someplace safe where you can release the energy. You will tell us where you are going and you will be back by bedtime. Both of you need more sleep than you have been getting. Alex, I am going to trust you to take your meds and you will make sure Kara uses these bands."

"Wait, you don't trust me?" the blonde asked.

"You slaughtered thousands of White Martians and you haven't had that ring for two weeks! I do not trust you to make good decisions! Jeremiah will be waiting for you three times a day here or at your new home and you will not miss these sessions. They are no different than your meds. You also are going to start going to AA meetings again. Any questions?"

"And Alex, get rid of that armor." Jeremiah added. "You aren't fighting anymore either. Both of you are done. You promised us and you promised Clark."

"That armor was for home defense only." Alex weakly defended. A look from the three told her they didn't buy it.

Jeremiah took a deep breath. During this conversation he had watched Kara's ring carefully and it never glowed. Perhaps last night had helped her but she had seen and caused enough death and destruction, that no matter how much he hated White Martians, anymore could only harm her.

"Enough. No more games. We have work to do. Kara, be back here in five hours for your second session." the man told her, no room for discussion. "And no more trips to any other planet without telling us first!"

Kara shrugged her shoulders and agreed. "Don't you two, you three have to get back to work? You did have jobs before all this..."

"Who do you think gave us the grants for research into possible biological threats and weapons in the event of Brainiac arriving?" Eliza asked.

"Bruce." Kara realized. "Fine, I will be here all day anyway. I have some work to do...until Alex decommissions my project, I need to get some materials from the Batcave for Kelex. It shouldn't take long."

That afternoon, while Kara snuck into the Batcave to confiscate, or steal depending on a point of view, materials and tools she needed, then was caught by Alfred to discuss her continued attendance at meetings with him, Alex took a moment to relax in her new home. Her and her Dad were pleased with the initial results of Kara's brain scan and had an hour before they were due back in the Fortress.

A knock on her door caught her by surprise. She knew her mother was taking a nap and her father was still at the Fortress.

Taking a knife from the kitchen, she exited the back and made her way to the front, scanning the area. She was pleasantly surprised to see her old friend, uncle, big brother, mentor, standing in front of the house.

"If it isn't my old Sith Master." she greeted Connolly. The man turned and rushed her, wrapping her in his arms.

"You have been hard to get a hold of. J'onn told me you were okay but I wanted to see for myself. Things have been busy, trying to track down Lillian Luthor, watching Lane, but..."

"Hey." Alex stopped him, surprised by the emotion he as showing. Connolly had never been good with emotions.

"Sorry." he admitted sheepishly, stepping back. "I thought you were dead. I thought you both were. We couldn't move fast enough."

Alex really looked at him and was surprised by how tired he appeared. The man was capable of staying in a sniper's perch for days with no sleep making her wonder how long it had been since he had any rest.

"Let's go inside. You look like shit." the girl told him.

Once the two had a seat, Connolly took in the structure. "Impressive. Kara around?"

Alex shook her head. "Probably in the Batcave or the Fortress."

"I thought she quit." he told her. "I thought you both quit."

Alex nodded her head. "We did, we have. I'm working on a project that can give her the same effect as the medications she was taking. Mom is working on figuring out a way to get that damn ring off her and Dad is helping both of us. Kara is bored so she has decided to upgrade Kelex. What's wrong? I mean besides everything?"

The man shook his head. "Nothing. I just wanted to see you. I thought you were dead...anyway, I'm sorry you didn't have more help."

Alex shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't sure what difference it would have made. Maybe if the Justice League had been there but then chances were good that Kara would be attacking Oa for Atrocitus right now. She told him this. It didn't seem to satisfy him.

"Chase wasn't sure what good her team could do since Kara wasn't having any luck. She couldn't decide who to send if anyone, what weapons to use, what air power to call in, what route to take to the battle site. She froze."

"She probably saved a lot of agents from getting killed."

"Getting killed fighting aliens is a risk you sign up for when you join the DEO." he snapped.

Alex was not surprised. Connolly thought he was bulletproof and expected his agents to act the same.

She asked the question she wasn't sure she wanted to know. After it had been all over and she had returned to Earth, no one had called her besides Webb and Dick Grayson. Not Cameron and not Nyssa. Nyssa could have been anywhere and they didn't leave on the best terms. Nyssa may not even know what went down. Cameron could have called to check though. They did spend six years together.

"Where is Cameron now?"

"She was reassigned as an agent at the Anchorage, Alaska branch office."

Alex shook her head, not sure if she should laugh or cry.

"We have our main headquarters in Metropolis now. Keep up your skills and stay out of trouble. Keep me updated on Kara. Has she talked to Dante since all this happened?"

"I don't think so." Alex told him, trying to remember.

Connolly was satisfied. "Good, tell her to keep the hell away from him. He let her down. We all did but..."

"Mom and Dad asked him..."

"I don't give a damn! He can stay in Central City. That meta he is around, Caitlin Snow, if you see her watch your back and stay armed. I don't trust her. Take care of yourself little Danvers. Call me at least once a week. I want updates on you two, got it?"

Alex snapped a salute. "Yes sir, sir. Be careful and for God's sake, get some sleep, okay? It will all turn out alright in the end. I promise."

Connolly smirked and hugged her, muttering something about an optimistic brat he raised on the way out.

Only Alex was feeling anything but optimistic after Kara's actions last night. At least she did have a sense of humor this morning, reminding Alex that she had work to do in retaliation.

 **Central City**

Cisco stood next to Wally watching two individuals in the recently renovated gym at S.T.A.R. where Barry was lifting weights and chugging down protein drinks in between sets. The guy had definitely buffed up since he first went to National City. It wasn't Barry that he was watching.

Dante was pounding on a heavy bag, so fast and hard you would almost think he was a metahuman.

"I don't get it, Wally. I have great hair, I'm handsome, I'm a metahuman who can make breaches and cause vibrational blasts with my hands. I'm practically a superhero. Yet, I would give it all up to look like him."

Wally snorted and smiled. "Maybe you should start lifting weights instead of watching everyone else do it."

Cisco shook his head. "Sounds too much like work. Speaking of, I am going to order pizza while my software tries to find our fire starter."

Iris slapped Cisco on the back, frightening the guy. Then she gazed into the room, seeing Dante working up a sweat, aggressively.

"Wow, I have got to get a boyfriend." The woman shook her head and focused. She had come here for a reason. "Not why I am here. I found out something big from the Congressman's secretary. He was in Central City to meet with two Senators and a Congresswoman about a bill that would force aliens to register in the United States or be considered a criminal. If this was an alien, he or she may have gotten wind of this and want to stop anyone even considering it."

"Does Dad know about this?"

"I told him. He is looking into possible names and locations of the other politicians. There was no political meeting scheduled on the books for Central City so it sounds like an off the record deal. My guess is they have already left Central City but who knows. If he can find those three here, we could at least keep an eye on them."

"And watch them go up in flames before we can do anything if we can't get an ID on him or her." Wally told the two. "It's a dumb idea anyway. With Kara's statement last week, the public opinion of aliens is at an all time high. Leave it to her to admit being an emotionally disturbed alcoholic and drug addict and make the public love her even more."

With a final loud pop on the heavy bag, Dante turned and stalked over towards the boy.

"You do sleep. Say another word about her and I will be there when you do with a very sharp knife, understand?" he growled.

Wally and Cisco's mouths practically dropped. Dante never lost his cool. Ever.

"Man...I didn't mean anything by it. I think the world of her. I was just saying that the public is being really supportive of her. I don't think those politicians would get any traction."

Dante stared at Wally for a few moments and let it past.

"Dante?" Barry asked, hearing all this from the bench he had been laying on. "You doing okay, man?"

The former Seal and DEO agent turned towards him, face neutral but a slight menace in his voice. "You need to start working with your baby brother, teach him how to fight. You," he pointed at Cisco, "should be working on how to get your team somewhere on this Earth, when we need it. We don't have fancy alien transporters. All we have is you, hopping all over the United States. Practice until you get it right or you will never be this superhero you seem to think you almost are."

Dante stormed off, leaving the four staring at each other, not quite sure what to say.

"Barry?" Iris asked. "Think you should see what his problem is?"

The Flash shook his head. "Not a great idea. I don't know him like the other guys, but I doubt any of them are the type to share their emotions. Leave it alone. He does have a good idea though. Want to spar before my lunch hour is up, Wally?"

"Yeah." Wally agreed, still a bit shocked by the unjustified threat he had just received from Dante. "Sounds fun. I may need it."

Barry was happy that he wanted to at least. Cisco may never be a physical kind of guy but Wally had the size and was a decent street fighter. He just needed to hone his skills. Like Barry, the kid needed to learn a new way to fight metas. He had come a long way in his skills. He was still hesitant about phasing someone else, even a training dummy, but his own skills at lightning throwing were coming along nicely.

"Great. Cisco, if you, Iris and Joe can get a lead on these possible targets and where they might be, Wally and I can start watching them tonight while Cisco searches for hotspots. Wally, if you don't have class today, keep reading as much as you can about Infernians. If this is linked to some possible alien registration act, it probably is an alien."

While Team Flash began to enact a plan, Caitlin who had been watching unseen, followed Dante out of the lab. He took off at a run and she knew better than to try and keep up with him when he was jogging. Instead she got into her car and followed from a distance. Caitlin knew he had been upset since they couldn't get to that monster and was even more withdrawn after his trip to Metropolis. Unsurprisingly, he wouldn't talk about it, so she let it go, figuring he would work it out on his own.

Now he was threatening Wally West for a slight of phrasing the boy meant nothing by. He finally stopped at the park, sitting on the bench Lobo had once famously sipped coffee with Flash, immortalized on the front page of the Central City Picture News.

She parked and slowly walked up to him, taking a seat on the bench.

"I'm not going to ask if you want to talk about it. I know you don't but you are because I'm not giving you a choice. You aren't going to shut me out. So talk."

Dante took a deep breath, not looking at her, gazing out over the pond.

"I made her what she is, what she became."

"You are obviously talking about Kara. Continue." the woman instructed. Despite what she had told herself in the past, deep down she had always been jealous of the relationship between the two, as she suspected Barry might be as well.

"When I first met her, she was so innocent. She was so sad but still so loving, so scared. She feared everything, her powers, the safety of her family, failing Clark. The first thing she ever asked me to teach her was how to swim. The oceans on Krypton were deadly and she had never actually been in water before."

"I think she is still scared." Caitlin added. "Her Dad told me once at the Block that Kara was more scared of me than I was of her. I didn't believe it at the time but I know it's true now."

"I was supposed to teach her to defend herself in case she was found. She never wanted to learn how to use heat vision. She wanted to learn to control it, stop it so she wouldn't hurt Alex or Clark or anyone by accident. She never wanted to learn to fly but we kept pushing. I should have been finding her aunt and uncle, taking them out so she wouldn't have to. Instead I stayed in Midvale, turning a 13 year old girl into the perfect warrior, the perfect killer. I even turned her blanket into a cape to help her turn corners quickly. It was my fault."

Caitlin didn't agree with this. She had heard the story before, parts of it from Barry, parts of it from Kara while at the Block.

"She wanted that."

"Yeah, a 13 year old wanted that and I all too eagerly gave it to her. By the time she was 17 she could take out bullets with her heat vision. I fired a thirty round clip at a tree and she caught and dropped everyone with her fingers, never letting them hit her body. I taught her every style of fighting I knew, everyway to kill someone. Maybe she did want it, but I gave it to her. I told myself it was because I wanted her ready for anything but I knew. I was preparing her to kill her aunt and uncle. I should have stuck to swimming lessons. It was supposed to be over after Myriad. We won, the world was saved and her and Alex could relax. But it never ended for those girls. They had become what we made them and there was never any going back. I turned her into what she is. I broke her heart because I ignored her obvious crush on me while she was growing up. I should have put an end to it early but I thought it would go away. I wish she could be that little girl asking me to teach her to swim again. I would give anything if she could have that. Its too late though. She almost died, should have died and this ring...Caitlin, I can't get it out of my head. The guilt, Connolly was just as bad. He turned Alex into a killer and I did the same to Kara."

Caitlin understood. She had suspected Dante carried a lot of guilt over a multitude of things. He hadn't had the easiest life. He had been fighting wars since he was 18.

"You think you should have been in Metropolis, right? You are angry that you were here, with me." she finished quietly.

The man said nothing for a moment. He had given this a lot of thought and still wasn't sure of the answer. Should he have been in Metropolis? Had he been wasting his time here or worse, turning Caitlin into what he turned Kara into? Dante still wasn't sure.

"I know I love you." he admitted. "I also know when she saw us...or I guess her at the time, I immediately felt guilty. Not because I love her romantically, just because I saw the hurt in her eyes. She thought she hadn't been good enough. Maybe I should have given her what she wanted after she tried to kill herself. Maybe I could have stopped it, given her peace. I didn't though. I couldn't lie to her, pretend to love her when I didn't, not like that. Should I have been there? I have no idea, Caitlin. All I know is I wasn't and it is eating me up inside. Lobo fought by her side. These damn Red Lanterns were there before she took the ring, helping her. Alex and J'onn were there, but I wasn't."

Caitlin expected as much. She didn't remember Kara and Killer Frost talking at S.T.A.R. but she saw how cold Kara was towards her at Bruce Wayne's Christmas party and could practically feel the guilt from Dante, noting that they hadn't even greeted each other and Kara wouldn't look at him.

"What do you want to do?" she asked hesitantly.

"Stay here with you. Get rid of this guilt. It will take time. I am sorry if I have been distant. I guess I need to work this out but it will take time. I hope you can understand that. When I went to Metropolis, Connolly and I got into a fight. It wasn't like our sparring sessions in the past. If Jack hadn't shown up I...I think he would have killed me. Those guys have been my only family and I feel I lost that, lost Kara, Alex, lost everyone who mattered to me in the past. I want to start over, with you. Maybe I never should have visited Kara at the Block. Maybe I should have stayed away like she wanted. It would have been easier for all of us. What's done is done. We will keep working, on everything, including us. Just don't let me make the same mistake I did with her. Don't let me turn you into her. Please. When you have control of these powers, complete control of yourself, don't use them anymore."

Caitlin had thought of this, ever since she heard that recording of Killer Frost talking to Kara at S.T.A.R. But that was then. Since then she remembered what she did while using them. She had lost it a few times, turned cold in more than just body temperature, but for the most part was handling it. She felt the two sides of her were merging.

Finally she shook her head. "If I am cursed with these powers, I am going to use them for something good. If you don't want to be a part of that, I understand, and I will continue on my own. I don't want to become her but I won't sit by while my friends fight, knowing that I could help. Its up to you whether you want to stay or go, but I am doing this."

Dante took a deep breath and smiled. "How did I know you were going to say that?"

"Because you wouldn't love me if I didn't. So are we going to work this afternoon or go home?" she asked.

The man shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we should work if you are determined to face an Infernian."

Caitlin smiled and walked with him to her car, retuning to the lab. It was six hours later as the sun was setting that Cisco and Iris found what they were looking for.

"We got the Congresswoman, Anne Coulter from Illinois. The other two left but she stayed behind." Iris told him. "Bayview Hotel."

Cisco took over street camera and found the place immediately. "No problem, let me cut into the lobby and hallway cameras and we can watch for signs of trouble. Scanning for heat sources now...wow. Looks like we got a hot female, literally and figuratively. She is approaching the hotel, a block away. Red shoulder length hair, tight leather top and pants, some sort of..."

"Alien clothing" Barry finished, zipping up with Wally. "Probably won't burn. Wally, we are up."

Iris and Cisco looked at the man. "Where is your other suit?" Iris asked.

"In my ring at my apartment. Kara wants as normal a life as possible. That means she doesn't need to worry about this. Its Team Flash business. Iris tell Joe to keep the cops away until we have her contained. If she can light up limos like match sticks, cop cars won't be a problem."

Flash and Kid Flash were gone, blowing Iris and Cisco's hair back.

"His new suit can control his body temperature. I know mine is fireproof but it can't protect his mouth and eyes or keep him from getting heat stroke." Cisco told Iris, not bothering to hide the worry he felt.

Iris said nothing but debated calling Kara. Barry had a point though, Kara was done, Supergirl was done. Involving her would do her no good. Of course if Barry was burned, she had no doubt what Kara's reaction would be.

Dante, Caitlin and Joe ran inside, having seen Barry and Wally run off while they were driving up.

No questions were needed. They knew what was going on.

At the Fortress of Solitude, Kara had just finished her third run of the night with her father by her side, while Alex was busy taking apart Kara's Kryptonian armor her sister thought she would use. She had just stood up and nearly fell back down, experiencing a slight bit of dizziness. Jeremiah caught her.

"I got you. It's to be expected Just like with your meds, you are going to feel some dizziness at first, maybe some slight nausea. I think I will stay tonight and watch you." Jeremiah told her. He knew there would be side effects and they were basically starting over, meaning being alert for hallucinations and suicide watches for the next month along with constant brain scans that Kara hated.

Before Kara could tell him it wasn't needed despite knowing it would do no good, Kelex was in front of the two.

"I hesitate to tell you this because nothing good can come from it, but protocol demands it. Barry's ring and suit have remained at his apartment all day. The newsfeed from Central City is reporting the Flash and Kid Flash are engaged in a battle against what I believe is an Infernian. Because he is not wearing the suit you commissioned I cannot tell you what his body temperature is or ...if he is winning or not."

Kara's good feeling from the band was gone as was the dizziness. Her ring lit up, her clothes changed, not a cape this time, but red pants and top, a black jacket and small black biker boots.

"No!" Jeremiah ordered. "You are staying out of this. Let him handle it."

"Oh my." Kelex said. "It appears they are both down. She has them surrounded by a circle of fire and their body temperatures are most likely at critical levels. Caitlin Snow has just appeared with Cisco Ramon. She has them surrounded by an ice dome but does not appear strong enough to hold. Ramon just attempted a vibrational blast. He has hit the Infernian but the fire has not dissipated. I estimate he will succumb to heat stroke in thirty two seconds."

Kara looked at her father, wondering how angry he was about to become but knew it didn't matter.

She opened a portal and jumped into S.T.A.R. Labs.

She also jumped when she felt his hand grab her arm.

"You jumped with me?! Do you know what could have happened? That was pure..."

"I'm here. Deal with it. Do you know how angry your mother is going to be?! Your sister is probably telling her right now!"

"What am I supposed to do? Wait for him to be barbecued?"

A clearing throat alerted the father and daughter to Dante, Joe and Iris West, staring at them.

"Uh...I think Barry has this." Iris told her quietly, never having seen Kara dressed like this, a blonde biker from hell with red glowing eyes that had flames flickering out of them. Dante was too shocked to say anything, never having seen her like this either.

Kara and her father checked the monitor and saw Barry had broken through the walls of flame and was running fast enough to cause a vortex, snuffing out the flames. As soon as they were gone, he chased the fleeing Infernian, striking her in the back of the head in less than a second.

The police rushed the scene, seeing it was safe now that the Flash had taken care of the problem. Barry must have felt comfortable enough that she would be out long enough to get her into the fire proof cell.

Barry and Wally arrived with Cisco and Caitlin seconds later.

The Flash was very surprised to see a worried Jeremiah and a furious Kara.

"That was dumb. She is an alien. The DEO will be picking her up in less than an hour. What is Central City police department going to do? Book her? Take her fingerprints?" Kara practically yelled.

"Kara...why are you here and...why do you look like that?" Barry asked, shocked to see her in S.T.A.R. He thought without his suit she wouldn't know what he was doing tonight.

"Why do you look the way you do? Where the hell is your suit? You have second degree burns under that thing! I can see them! You could have been incinerated! There is only one alien that burns hotter than an Infernian and that's me! Absolute zero would do nothing to her! Why the hell didn't you tell him this, Dante? Have you forgotten everything you knew about aliens?!"

"Kara, calm down." Jeremiah whispered.

"I am as calm as the situation calls for!"

"Do not raise your voice at me, young lady!" the father snapped.

Kara looked him in the eyes and calmed, her own turning blue but the red of her ring still glowing.

"Barry? Any reason you decided a retro look would work tonight?" she asked, her attention back to him.

Barry was at a loss for words, not knowing exactly what to say.

"Let me guess, you wanted to do it yourself, right? Is it some pride thing? You promised Alex you would always wear it. It could have protected your eyes, your mouth, it could have kept your body temp regulated! What was his body temp, Snow? Oh right, you don't know because you were busy getting melted!"

Caitlin didn't answer. After fighting off the Infernian's fire, Killer Frost was close to the surface and ready to fight.

"Screw this. I'm taking Dad to your apartment. I'm kicking the door in and using the transporter to get him back to the Fortress and then destroying the damn thing! You think you can handle things, fine! Handle it! Congratulations Team Flash. You nearly got turned to ash!"

Kara picked up Jeremiah who didn't have a chance to argue. The two flew off, down the circular hallway and into the sky, flying to the roof of Barry's building and zipping as promised, through his door.

Jeremiah shook his head, trying to regain his equilibrium.

"Kara! I hate when you do that! I feel like I am going to puke!" he complained.

"Puke at the Fortress. I'm sending you there then I will open my own breach after destroying this transporter. I will be right behind you."

Jeremiah shook his head. "I'm not leaving you. Not like this! We are both going in and listen to your mother yell t us for the next hour!"

"Why won't you ever do what I say?!" she shouted.

"Because I'm the Dad. Why won't you ever do what I say?!"

"Because...I do...sometimes. Most of the time. Okay, some of the time." she told him, finally calming down a bit.

"Lets just go home, okay? We can put the band on you so you can get some sleep and it will be alright..."

"What the hell was that all about?" Barry asked, running in.

Jeremiah groaned. wanting him and Kara to be any place but here, now.

Kara's calmness that had been returning was gone now.

"You tell me! I thought we were good. You came over, we slept together, had breakfast and things were fine. Now I have to hear from Kelex who was watching the news, that you are fighting an alien?"

Barry thought she might have a reaction like this but not to this degree. He also didn't expect her to show up in S.T.A.R. with her father, resembling a demon biker girl who took fashion advice from Lobo.

"You said you wanted normal, as normal as possible. This is me giving you normal as best I can. You don't need to be involved in this anymore, and I can handle Central City. I don't need Kelex, or any alien tech. Why do your really care? I know you have a tracker on that ring. Does it bother you that much that you don't know where I am every second of the day, or how I am doing in fights?"

Kara approached him so quickly if he wasn't a Speedster he wouldn't have seen her.

"I have given you everything I have to give. I gave you my love, my secrets, my body, everything! All I asked was that you came back safely. You promised you would wear that suit. How did she surround you with fire? You stopped to talk to her? Give her some quirky little remark? She didn't respond, did she? Instead she circled you in a ring of fire, so hot not even you could get out fast enough. It's a miracle you did and your entire body is blistered now!"

"God, I really wish I would have gone through that transporter." Jeremiah mumbled, wishing he hadn't heard the first part of Kara's speech.

Barry looked down on her, taller but feeling shorter now because of the look in her eyes.

"I can handle Central City. I want you and I want to keep you separate from this. That's why I didn't wear the suit."

"Separated? I thought we shared everything." she countered.

Barry nearly laughed. "Share everything? Really? You try to push me away every chance you get! You have it in your head that you protect me means staying away from me but watching my every move! How long till you tell me to leave in the middle of the night after you get what you want? Am I going to become some casual fling you use like Grayson? Because that's all you make me feel like. A damn possession of yours, that you only let out when you think its safe. I'm the Flash, remember? A founding member of the Justice League! Didn't you say you weren't even sure if that was what you needed or wanted?"

"That is not what I meant! Maybe I was trying to push you away but look at me! I push you away and you go on some suicidal run? That's the way it is going to be?"

"My team can handle any metas or aliens that attack anyone in Central City. It wasn't suicide, it was what we do."

"Your team?" Kara asked, disbelieving. "Yeah, because they have a great track record. If you hadn't gotten up, your team, including your frozen meta would be ash right now and I would be cleaning it up! Where the hell is your real team? Diana, Bruce, hell Curry could have handled this with you!"

Barry walked around her and grabbed his ring from the desk drawer and placed it in her palm.

"My team, my friends don't need my other team to handle one alien. I caught her, she is in custody. Nobody died. See how that works?"

"Oh shit." Jeremiah whispered, torn between jumping into the transporter and figuring out a way to drag Kara with him.

"How that works? Is that supposed to mean something? I'm not a hero because I killed my enemies? You are right, I am a killer and I am no hero. I went to Mars and killed a thousand White Martians last night and I may kill more tonight. I'm not a hero, I'm effective. You just seem to think you are."

"So now I'm not effective...wait, did you say you killed a thousand White Martians last night?" Barry asked, thinking he must have misheard that. Mars? The man put that comment away for now. "Never mind, it shouldn't surprise me. That's it, right? All that talk about having faith in me and trusting me, thinking I could handle anything, its just talk, right? I guess this is still about Zoom?"

Kara threw her hands up in frustration, one finger barely missing Barry's head that he jerked away from. "Fine, you want the truth? No, you can't handle things on your own. Your team is a wreck. Ramon is a joke, Snow literally turns into another person, a copy of her murdering doppelganger, and Wally is inexperienced. The only backup you have is the Justice League and you are too proud to ask for help. This was not some common meta! Your pride got in the way of your brain! You may as well have asked Robin Hood to help you out!"

"At least he doesn't treat me like some second rate hero that needs saving!"

Kara backed up, nodding her head.

"You're right, Barry. You don't need saving and I don't need somebody I love die. I thought Alex was dead and I won't go through that again. Screw it, have fun with Team Flash. Try not to get your back broken this time. Don't bother seeing me anymore. No more watching out for you. You want to die because you are stupid, go for it, but don't expect me to be a part of it. Stay the hell away from me and I promise not to watch a damn thing you do."

Kara turned around and grabbed Jeremiah by the arm. Using her palm to open the portal, she pushed him inside. Once he was secure she tore the palm reader out and grabbed the Rann battery and Omegahedron.

Barry watched her tear the closet wall apart and then raise her ring. The energy was extremely bright and much different than Cisco's breaches. She walked into it and it closed immediately behind her.

He found himself alone, the door to his apartment lying in the living room and a large hole in his closet, twisted metal under it.

The Flash was shaking, angry, furious and not knowing what to do. Kara was right, his body was singed under the suit, but he didn't care. Deciding since his door was kicked in and luckily no one had walked by and saw him without his mask, he covered his head and ran, moving through Central City, weaving in and out of traffic, running up buildings, running across the water, just running.

He didn't stop until he noticed Wally running beside him. The two stopped on the top of Mercury Labs.

"Don't feel like talking, Wally."

The boy understood and patted Barry on the shoulder.

"Yeah, your com was still on. We figured you wouldn't feel like talking. Everybody said to give you some space. I'm thinking you might want someone to run with, so let's run. It's a beautiful night, we took out a bad lady, thanks to you standing up, and I don't really think Kara will go back to Mars and kill...was she serious? Of course she was. Who would make something like that up? Just give her some space. She will come around."

Barry shrugged his shoulders. "Everybody tells me to give her space. Maybe its time I listened. She thinks I'm weak. I'm tired of it. That ring makes her angry, it doesn't make her tell lies. I'm done, Wally."

Kid Flash wasn't surprised. He had never heard Barry shout like he did tonight and should have known Kara had it in her. They just needed to cool off.

He hoped so because Barry was a different person when the two were together and things were well. He was a better person. Without her, with her lost and angry, he wasn't sure what his brother would become.

 **Midvale**

Kara walked out of her portal and paced in front of the cliff until she could calm down. It took a while.

Finally after 20 minutes, she was able to control her breathing enough for her clothes to regain their original cotton and denim appearance.

Then the tears came. Deciding they would probably not go away anytime soon, she began walking into her house, telling herself it was for the best. She knew she should push him away but hadn't been able to. Now she had, in spectacular Kara Danvers fashion. She had a good thing and she screwed it up. Story of her life.

She knew her mother and father along with Alex had entered her house from the Fortress through her basement.

Of course they were waiting for her in the living room.

To her relief, Eliza didn't seem furious, sadder than anything. She approached Kara and placed her hands on of her cheeks.

"Look at me. Look me in the eyes." the mother told her.

"Why? What are you hoping to see?" the blonde asked.

Kara paid no mind to her sister behind her, not noticing the movement until it was too late and the band was around her head.

Jeremiah caught her before she hit the floor.

"Nothing Kara. I just wanted Alex to put the band on you." Eliza whispered. "Jeremiah, carry her to bed. I'll put a bracelet on her. I am going to sleep with her tonight. Alex, take your meds and go to bed. I love you."

"Love you, Mom. Try and wake me if you need anything."

Alex watched her Dad taking Kara upstairs, her Mom following then moved to her own room and turned out the lights. She thought of calling Barry, telling him something, anything, explaining that the ring and the bands, maybe it was a side effect, that Kara did not mean what she said.

Unfortunately Kara did mean it and Barry knew it. Swallowing her pills, Alex drifted off, wondering how Kara would feel in the morning and suspecting it wouldn't be good.


	37. Chapter 37

**Do not own DC or CW characters.**

 **Chapter 37 Therapy Time**

"Why are you here?" Kara asked, after finally waking at 9 AM. She remembered looking at her mother and then apparently being knocked out. Her head felt fine, she felt rested but she did not want to get out of bed. She had no reason to. If they wanted to put this brain altering crystal band on her, they could come into her bedroom where they left her.

Now she was faced with her therapist, who she only saw on video and thought was safely stored away in Gotham City.

"I wanted to talk to you before you have your first session of the day with the alien brainwashing thing your mad scientist family came up with. You are scheduled for your first in an hour, your second at 3 and then one at 7. You should be done by 7:30 and you will be meeting Alfred in Bruce's hideout and the two of you will be going to an AA meeting in Gotham. It will be the same group you had at the Block. I know this because I was given a full schedule this morning by your mother, slash, agent, slash nurse, when I arrived. I am here now because Batman woke me at 4 AM and paid me an obscene amount of money if I would fly to Midvale and be here when you woke. In between your brain washing sessions we are going to spend a lot of time together and talk about everything."

Kara groaned and rolled away from the side she was lying on, making a mental note to figure out a way to bar chairs from entering her room and do something very painful to Bruce.

"What is there to talk about?"

Leslie shook her head, recognizing how much work they would have to do obvious by Kara's depressed state and hoping her secretary could rearrange her schedule. This would be a very long day in Midvale for her.

"Oh, I don't know. Why not talk about what has gone on since the last time we met after you took that ring. We could talk about how you are feeling, how you have been trying to shut everyone out of your life again except your family and that annoying cat, how you flew to another planet to blow off steam by killing quite a few Martians and destroying an innocent pyramid with an unknown alien at your side. Maybe we can talk about how you destroyed your relationship with your boyfriend last night, invaded S.T.A.R. Labs, basically called everyone inside idiots who had no idea what they were doing, kicked your boyfriend's door in, told him you never wanted to see him again and then tore one of those weird transporters I refuse to walk through out of his closet before disappearing into a cloud of rage energy. That's just in the past couple days. I am sure we can come up with a few other things, like lack of a schedule, lack of meetings, how you announced your problems to the world and what effect that has had on you. So what about it? Where do you want to start? Mass murder or the argument last night with your boyfriend?"

Kara groaned again and thought of opening a portal to Mars and sending Leslie through it.

"I did what I had to do. I don't need anyone in my life, and he doesn't need me. He isn't my boyfriend."

"No shit." Leslie agreed. "You basically told him he was weak, stupid and to try not to get his back broken again. Called his best friend a joke and trashed his whole team. Honestly it would have been less painful if you took a knife and cut his junk off. Between the beating you gave Grayson and last night, I give you credit, when you break up with someone, you don't do it half way. You didn't do that last night because you wanted to push him away. You lost it and said exactly what you were thinking. Why? Why last night? Because he fought an alien and you didn't know?"

Kara snorted and buried her head deeper into the pillow away from Dr. Thompkins. "Does it really matter why I did it?" she asked, keeping her eyes closed. "I need sleep. Everyone tells me I need sleep so go away and let me sleep."

Kara heard no words for a few seconds, a bit hopeful that Leslie had given up already and would come back later to bother her.

The bucket of water dumped on her head, ended that notion.

Kara sat up from the shock of it. It was cold and she must have had a bracelet on. So much for the ring protecting her.

"What was that? My sheets are soaked now!"

Leslie grinned, satisfied.

"Good, not get out of bed and talk to me. I brought another chair for you. Have a seat and let's get to work."

The girl grumbled and walked into her bathroom, changing into a robe and wrapping a towel around her head then sat as instructed. At least it was one of her cushioned table chairs.

"Forget the about outbursts for now. Let's start with your impromptu press conference you decided to have on an impulse without talking to anyone. You did good. That was a brave thing and helped more people than you can imagine, even if that wasn't your goal. I was proud of you. You seemed confident, mature, at peace. You put yourself out there. Sometime between then and now you reverted to the self-destructive brat I first met at the Block. What is going on?"

Kara squirmed a bit, looking at the ceiling, to Leslie's left then right, then the floor, trying to think of what she would want to hear.

"Look me in the eyes and stop trying to figure out what I want to hear. You know it doesn't work on me. I can smell lies on you. Answer the question, Kara, now."

"Everything is going on. Nothing is going on. I don't know, okay? Yeah, it felt good to get it off my chest. The world doesn't think I am some perfect godlike being who abandons humanity on a whim. It didn't solve anything. I still want to drink and it seems pointless to talk with a group of people about alcohol and drugs all the time. I can't get drunk so what difference does it make? This ring is never coming off. They have figured out a way to alter my brain waves but not remove this ring. If anyone could its my parents and sister and they say they believe they can but I know they can't. This damn ring, it makes me feel..."

Kara hesitated so Leslie took an obvious guess. "Less human?"

The blonde shook her head. "I've never felt human. The closest I came was with the crystal inside me and I was happy. It was good, but I still knew I wasn't human. The ring doesn't make me feel like a different person, it makes me feel...I'm not sure. It's like this devil on my shoulder. Everything bad inside me, every urge I have tried to keep at bay since I quit, now it wants to come out. I miss the fights. I miss the violence, the adrenalin, the pain, the release. That release that came after destroying something, someone, it felt so good. Even if I felt guilty about it afterward, the idea of..."

Leslie held up her hand. "Are you ever going to stop fighting Non and Astra? How many times are you going to kill them? When will you stop letting them win anyway? They are dead. Why do you think you can't get that through your head?"

Kara thought for a moment.

"I don't know." she admitted. "I don't know if I can. I told Astra if she made me kill her I would hate her forever. I still hate her."

"And you still love her." the woman pointed out. "That's confusing, isn't it? So has the ring just given you an excuse to cut loose or are you actually influenced by it?"

The girl did not know what to say. The ring talked to her it seemed. Its power begged to be released at times but it never used words. Kara communicated with it on a more primal level. But did it make her do things?

"I am...tempted more than I was when I was ...her. When I got to Mars and saw those...monsters celebrating wiping out a race, it was the trigger I needed I guess. I felt stronger than I had in my entire life and all I wanted to do is wipe their race out, the way they destroyed J'onn's. I never had the ability to fly to Mars before. I could but it would have taken me years. I ran the numbers one time and had Kelex double check them. Without a ship...if I borrowed Lobo's he would have gone with me. He is strong but neither of us were strong enough to take out an entire race. Plus he would have told my family before he took me, knowing they would stop me." Kara admitted. "But this time...I made the decision. I knew what I was doing. Yeah, the ring felt better and it was intoxicating to wield that much power but I would have done it anyway without it. I wouldn't have survived probably but I would have taken a few out."

Leslie suspected this. Kara's parents and sister hoped the ring was causing some of her actions, causing her to fall back to where she was. The ring had nothing to do with it. The blonde was using it as an excuse to let loose the demons she had been wrestling with since she entered the Block. Before the Block she never had a problem with holding the demons back because she simply didn't try, she just fought her enemies and unleashed hell on them.

"You went through another traumatic experience that has knocked you back. You need to stop falling before you hit the ground and the progress you have made is gone."

"It wasn't traumatic." Kara argued. "It was a fight and some bad things happened to me but it was nothing compared to...other things."

Leslie snorted. "You fought a creature that nearly beat you to death, a creature Zor El created. You haven't felt that weak since Hank Henshaw tried to take you. You saw your friend Lobo have his heart punched out, saw J'onn nearly die taking a hit for you and then, just as you were about to die, you thought you saw the sister you love more than life itself die in an explosion and could do nothing. You took a cosmic weapon that changed you physically, turned you into a mindless monster and had to be taken to another planet that resembled hell and spent four days in a lake of some sort of blood. You don't consider that traumatic?"

"I admit I have had better days." the blonde told her, trying to laugh it off. Leslie wasn't buying it.

The therapist took a deep breath and leaned forward, elbows on knees, looked at the girl then asked the question she had been wrestling with asking.

"What did you see while you were drowning in that lake? Until you face it, you will never get past it. Tell me."

Kara shivered a bit and considered taking the band off. It wouldn't have mattered though. That shiver wasn't caused by the temperature.

"I told you I don't remember much. It was just a lot of confusion and ...I saw Alex's jet get hit and the next thing I knew I was with Diana and we were puking the blood that had filled us up. I don't remember details."

"You are lying." Leslie told her. "Out with it. I know in my gut that you remember more than you are saying. Tell me Kara. Stop being a coward. You told the whole world you were an addict with mental health issues. You were brave then. This is just the two of us, and no matter what happened, it is over. There is nothing to fear now."

"I am not scared." Kara told her defensively.

Leslie shook her head. "You are always scared of something. I know you, Kara. Maybe I don't have the history you have with others which is probably why I know you better. I'm not fooled or blinded by years of memories. I do this for a living and I am very good at my job. Stop lying and tell me what you saw."

"Everything!" Kara shouted suddenly. "I saw everything." she said again, quieter.

Leslie was pleased. Perhaps they would get somewhere today.

"Tell me what you mean by everything."

Kara shook her head, a tear leaking out. She had done her best to keep her memories of that time at bay but as time went on and she sat in her house at night, not sleeping, the memories became stronger.

"I know why Atrocitus hated the Guardians. He wasn't always a bad guy. Before the Guardians...he was like you, kind of a psychologist on his planet, only nicer. He had a family that he loved so much, a wife, children, parents. The Guardians had created an army of androids to supposedly protect the Universe before they created the Green Lantern Corp. That army went rogue and began wiping out civilizations, whole sectors of the universe. Atrocitus was one of only five people in his sector who were not killed. He...I saw everything. Everything from his family dying to his imprisonment to killing his fellow survivors to make the rings and battery, all so he could kill the Guardians in revenge, for his family, for his people, for billions destroyed by their arrogance. I understand why he wanted to kill them. I want to kill them. I can't hate him, despite what he did because I understand what hate can turn someone into. I saw everything he saw, the wars, the battles between the Reds he created and Greens who protected those bastards from him. I understood him. I still do. I probably would have done the same."

Leslie admitted her herself that she was surprised and had thought nothing could surprise her anymore. She expected Kara to go through some period of nightmares, hallucinations, like what she saw during withdrawals.

The idea that Kara empathized with the one person most responsible for turning her into a Red Lantern was shocking.

"He did horrible things," she continued, "he was responsible for Doomsday landing on Earth, letting Lex find him, setting him loose. He did all those things to bait me, all so he could use me as a mindless weapon to achieve his revenge and as much as I should hate him, a large part of me understands. Look what I became because I thought Alex was dead. If she really was, if my family was dead, do you think I would be here or going to a grief counselor? I would be looking for any target, him, Sinestro, the Guardians. I would take control of the Reds and I wouldn't stop until we burned all the Corps and the same time, praying that someone would kill me. I feel that need for vengeance inside me and I feel the need to be here with my family. I feel torn in two."

Leslie was pleasantly surprised that Kara opened that much without her pulling teeth. She also felt a shiver. Living with her own traumatic memories had been hard enough on the girl. Now she had seen another creature, one who had once been innocent and became twisted by hate beyond recognition and felt his emotions.

This was bad.

"Is that what you want to become? Do you want to become him? Forget about Kara Danvers, forget about the good you have done and give in to the temptation?" she asked cautiously.

Kara shook her head quickly. "I just want to be...a part of me does. A bigger part of me just wants to make my family finally proud of me. To be the daughter they deserve. I don't know if I have that in me but I want it. I was so close and then...its like the Universe or fate or something has decided this is supposed to be my life. I also saw other things, things that showed me who I really am."

Leslie raised an eyebrow and sat back, not sure if they should cut the session here or keep going for the next twenty minutes. Of course when Kara was opening, it was best to let her keep going.

"Go on." she encouraged.

"I relieved my past, from the beginning. I relieved good times and I relieved bad times. Sometimes I relived moments where I wanted to kill someone, like Zor El or Non or a guy from high school that used to tell his friends he screwed me, lied about me constantly. Only this time, I killed them, always with a knife. I killed Zor El with a knife, and that guy and...I only used my powers to kill one person. I flew Cameron Chase over National City and held her by the neck. I actually did that but this time I let her drop."

"Whoa!" Leslie stopped her. "When the hell did that happen? It seems like something I would remember you saying."

"She and Alex had a fight three years ago and Alex walked out. Chase went to a bar and when she came out, I grabbed her by the throat and took her up. I told her if she ever yelled at Alex again I would kill her. I also told her what I would do to her family and friends if she ever told Alex or anyone about this. She believed me, she knew what I was capable of and she knew I wasn't lying. She wore a turtleneck or scarf for two weeks until the bruising went away. Her and Alex continued to fight of course, but she kept her voice down."

Kara smiled at the memory as if she were telling a friend a fond story of her childhood. The therapist was very disturbed by that. In the past when Kara admitted to doing something horrible she looked ashamed or regretful. She had just talked about holding a woman a few hundred feet off the ground by her neck and found the memory amusing.

There was no doubt in her mind, being in that lake effected Kara more than she was letting on and probably more than she realized herself.

They had a lot of work to do.

"We are going to stop there. I'm going to raid your fridge and you are going to have your brainwashing session. When we get back we are going to talk about last night. This topic isn't over yet though. We will go into more detail tonight so prepare yourself."

Kara groaned.

"I don't want to talk about last night. I lost it, I told him to stay away. It hurts like hell but what is done is done. I doubt he wants to see me anymore, ever. You want me to call to apologize or what? I really don't want to hear his voice right now."

Leslie shook her head. "I never wanted you involved with him right now. I told your parents you had too much to work on to be involved in a relationship. A relationship takes a lot work and you have too much work to do on yourself to commit, especially with someone in the same field of work you were leaving behind. Your parents insisted he was good for you and he was, but it's catching up now. I don't doubt you love him and he loves you or he wouldn't have followed you to that hell but it's going to always end in disaster until you can come to some sort of peace with yourself. We are going to talk about what triggered your reaction last night and why you acted so impulsively instead of talking about it like an adult. Anger management is more important than ever now, Kara. Go. I'll have microwave pizza ready when you get back and we can keep going."

 **Central City**

Barry watched the clock tick until finally five o clock came. He had spent the day trying to find something to do, as a forensic scientist or as the Flash. Nothing happened. There were no new crime scenes to process and he finished the reports on the other crime scenes, like his deep fried Congressman, and sent it to the DEO who would process the case as the FBI, reporting that a rogue alien had killed the man and would be held in containment indefinitely until due process could be determined. Normally the DEO would take the alien and keep it in a cell forever but because of the high profile of the victim, the news media was hounding the criminal justice system for answers about everything, especially regarding a trial.

He faxed his report and was done for the day, cleaning his lab then surfing the internet the rest of the time.

He did everything he could to not think about the night before and especially about Kara.

He failed. Barry's body was still red in places, as if he had a bad sunburn that Aloe Vera wouldn't fix and every time he moved the fabric of his clothes made it worse. The man just wanted to go home, fix his door better than he had the night before with Wally and try to decide what to do about the hole in the back of his closet.

When he got home a surprise was waiting for him. Jessica was outside his door.

"Hi. I thought we didn't have a session scheduled until tomorrow night. I guess you heard, huh?" He didn't know why he was surprised. Jessica still saw Alex, Eliza and Jeremiah for weekly sessions and as such there would be no secrets involving Kara's actions.

"Alex may have mentioned it to me. Then Eliza. Then Jeremiah called an hour later and just suggested I see you a day early. He said you would need someone to talk to. For a group that has had years of family sessions together their communication skills with each other still suck. You think they would have gotten together and picked one person to call me. You up for this or want to wait? I can grab a hotel for the night but I am missing the Voice for this."

Barry nodded his head in agreement, not really feeling like being alone but not wanting to talk to all his friends tonight, afraid of what their reactions to last night had been. Wally was fine. Kara had only called him inexperienced. She did however call Cisco a joke and basically called Caitlin Killer Frost and the same as her doppelganger. She didn't say anything about Dante except asking him if he had forgotten what he knew about aliens but Dante knew and Barry suspected, that the former incident between the two may have passed but their relationship would never be the same.

Kara had done it again and this time effectively, cutting out everyone except those she had known over the years. Outside her family, he had no doubt she would still include Bruce and J'onn but doubted anyone else would get close to her.

For the first time, Barry wondered if he would have been better off never having seen her again, or at least letting it go after she left S.T.A.R. the first time he saw her, thinking Nightwing was her boyfriend.

The man also seriously did not understand how Dick Grayson put up with years of her abuse. Probably because he told her whatever she wanted to hear. She either didn't care if he was injured or killed or had confidence he would always live, just like she believed Bruce would.

"Talking to you would be good." Barry told her.

The two had a seat on the couch and as usual, Jess began. She was used to Barry not knowing where to start.

"Kara over the years has told me she hated me so many times I lost count when she was 15."

"And she didn't mean it, huh?" the man guessed.

Jessica shook her head. "She meant it. At the time she said it, she definitely hated me. It didn't take her long to get over it though. I challenged her and she never liked that. It was my job though. Tell me about last night. The fight with the Infernian, give me the details, what you were thinking, feeling, everything leading up to it and the fight itself."

Barry reflected, wondering what he had been thinking. He should have used that suit. He nearly did die from heat stroke as did his team. With it, the temperature no matter how high, wouldn't have bothered him.

"I wanted to prove to myself and my team that we could handle it on our own. We haven't handled anything on our own in a long time. I have been with the Justice League. Our team hadn't really had a fight since Zoom. I fought Killer Croc and we had some plan to take him down involving metal nets but Lobo came in and took him out in seconds. We hadn't won in a long time and I still feel like Zoom beat us. If those Time Wraiths hadn't showed up, I am not sure what I would have done. I know what I should have done but I don't think I would have then."

"Continue." Jess encouraged when Barry stopped talking for a moment. Unlike Kara and Alex, it did not take much for Barry to open up, something she greatly appreciated.

The man looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath, then seemed to deflate in defeat.

"When Wally and I got there, I...despite what everyone I have worked with in the past six months told me, I stopped moving. I told her to give up. I thought seeing me may cause her to rethink her actions. I watched her hands, ready to move out of the way if she tried anything but then I was surrounded by a circle of flames so hot I had never felt anything close to it. The heat, it wasn't a regular fire. I tried to back up and realized we were surrounded. I ...froze I guess. If I ran in circles inside, the fire would have gone up but taken us with it I think. I'm still not sure. I tried a vortex with my arms to clear a path but nothing worked. It was too hot. Then Cisco and Caitlin were there but they couldn't do anything. Caitlin cooled me off just enough that I felt I could take a chance and run through it. I did and it hurt like hell, but I took her out."

Jess detected a lack of pride in his voice and knew why.

"Kara yelled at you, furious that you had been hurt, could have been killed, right?"

"Something like that." Barry admitted. "No, exactly like that."

Jess wondered if she should say what she was about to say. Would it be betraying anything Kara had ever told her? She didn't think so, considering what she had told Barry and then the world.

"Barry, have you ever given any thought, ever had any real idea, how hard it is to have a relationship, love someone who has a mental illness of the degree that Kara has? Have you ever considered that she has too many issues to be in a relationship with anyone? That she is still a recovering addict, an alcoholic and unmedicated manic depressive and will be battling these problems for the rest of her life?"

The man shrugged his shoulders, noncommittally. "I think about it all the time."

"Have you thought that you will never be able to have a serious relationship while you still blame yourself for your mother and father's death? That you don't have the confidence you are trying to force yourself to feel, no matter how much better you have gotten or how much good you have done?"

"I guess I haven't really." he admitted quietly.

"Have you ever thought that if you and Kara were to ever have something real and healthy in the future that you are going to have to quit being the Flash? Is that something you are prepared to do one day? This ring is bad enough for her. She will never be able to quit as long as you are involved. The Flash is a big part of who you are. We have talked about the times you lost your powers in the past and how you felt a large part of you was missing. That wasn't your speed you were missing. That was the part of you that wants to be a superhero. Kara was easier to convince because she had her fill of mangled and burned victims. She never started off wanting to be a hero either. You haven't even begun to see the things she has. You have had terrible things happen to you and you deal with them by helping others and that is a good thing, much healthier than other habits. Still though, if you want to be with her, have a healthy relationship, one day you will have to quit. Are you prepared for that? Can you live without the Flash?"

Barry thought of this, not saying anything for a minute. Could he? Would he ever even consider it? He thought of the times he and Kara had, the times they were alone, normal, no Flash and no Supergirl, times before the ring and after the Block where it seemed everything was perfect.

Which made him feel more complete?

"I can't be with her until she realizes I can take care of myself and her. If she could realize that, then maybe...I don't know."

Jessica recognized this as an honest answer. Unlike Kara, Barry never lied or deflected.

"Lets talk about Atrocitus. You killed him. You cut off his hand and his head. How did that make you feel, after the adrenalin had passed? It was a crazy week afterward, including visiting a planet that resemble Hell. You have had some time to process it. How did you feel about killing Atrocitus?"

Barry answered immediately. There was no need to think about this. He already had.

"I felt amazing. He was trying to hurt, control, the woman I love. I wasn't going to make the same mistake and...Diana trusted me to do it. She had told me the plan before we even found him. Her and Curry would attack, she would take the fire and Curry threw her sword to me. I would either use the sword to cut through whatever shield he had or if it didn't work phase into the shield and tear him apart. She had confidence in me. She never asked if I could do it, or if it would be safe. She took a hit because she knew I could do it. Killing him, it was satisfying on so many levels. Kara may not have believed in me but she did, Bruce did, even Curry never doubted me. If somehow Atrocitus caught me, he had his trident near and would attack, but Diana didn't think it would come to that."

"It felt good to be trusted, right? Some part of you isn't wondering why you were able to take a life now though?"

Barry shook his head. "I could do it now because Zoom was my breaking point I think. I would not lose anyone else I love because I was afraid or believed in some moral code that would cost someone else their life."

Jessica was not surprised. She knew her husband had that effect on people. When Barry started training with Connolly's team, it was a matter of time. She had hoped he might gravitate more towards Batman's methods when he began working with the team of superheroes but it looked like Diana had taken him under her wing and Diana's techniques for stopping baddies matched Kara's. She put them down permanently.

She also suspected that Bruce had the same feelings Kara had in regard to his methods. Jess figured he had always been afraid to kill humans because it was that code that allowed him to keep his sanity. He used his agreement with Kara not to leave aliens alive as an excuse to let his true demons out and secretly agreed with her methods. He had certainly made no attempt to stop Diana from turning Barry into someone who would kill without hesitation if necessary. Diana wasn't a mindless killer. She was a warrior and when she went to war, she took no prisoners unless she had to. She was an Amazon and from what Jessica understood about their culture, war , dying and killing honorably was something that was engrained in all of them.

"It's your decision." Jessica told him. "If you push your way back in, Kara will let you in...to a point. If you want her to get better, to truly get to a place where she could allow love into her life, then you are going to have to wait. At least if that is something you still want. Its okay to take care of you. She will be fighting herself as long as she lives. It isn't easy, its incredibly hard and I can't tell you if it is worth it. I love her, Barry. Its probably why I became an ineffective therapist for her. From personal experience, outside of being her therapist in the past I can tell you, loving her is hard."

Barry snorted. "Not for Alex or Clark or her parents. On the way back from Ysmault, Alex cleaned her up in the bathroom and when they came out, Kara kept herself pressed against her the entire trip. I sat next to her but it was Alex she clung to."

Jess was not surprised in the least.

"I can't explain it Barry, but those two had an extreme bond since they first saw each other, more extreme than any bond I have ever seen. She hid from this world, even Clark for a lot of years, with only her parents and Alex. For over a decade they have protected each other, hid a huge secret, gone to war for each other. If you try to compete with that you will lose. Luckily, if you ever decide you want to try and have something real, you will realize that you don't have to compete. It isn't a game to see who scores more points. I think she loves you, but she hates herself. It makes it hard to give something you see as bad to someone who you see as good."

Barry leaned back into the couch, feeling his eyes stinging with tears. The man knew she was right. Kara was damaged and he couldn't fix her. She would have to fix herself and it wasn't a competition. Barry wanted to be the one to save her but not even her parents and sister stopped her from becoming dependent on alcohol and drugs.

Jessica saw he was absorbing this. Unlike Kara, Barry was not afraid to process his feelings, at least with her. Despite what powers who might have, in many ways, Barry was stronger than Kara. Kara had done impossible things, hard things like killing Astra, and her getting help was something Jess never would have believed. She truly thought they would have to keep Kara in the Block for a long time until she got with the program. Leslie Thompkins changed that.

But Barry was different. He didn't deny the parts of himself he considered weak. He faced them head on.

"Okay, enough about that. Let's talk about high school. We covered Junior High last week, before your parents died. Tell me what it was like to be the son of a man falsely imprisoned for killing your mother."

 **Gotham City, Batcave**

The day and night before had been rough for Kara. Leslie had not lied. In between brainwashing sessions as her therapist lovingly referred to them as, she talked, and talked, and talked about visions she had while in the lake, the feeling of power the ring had given her on Mars, the relationships she had with her family since she returned, her short temper that Leslie believed she was blaming on the ring and everything else the woman could think of.

Everything except Barry. They had briefly touched on it. Kara explained her reason for being so upset and admitted to losing it but still thought in the long term, for his benefit, it was the right thing to do. Leslie had been strangely silent on the topic, other than asking her to think what could happen if she lost it again. Angry was one thing, angry and destructive was another. Afterwards true to her word, Kara was sent to the Batcave where she met Alfred and drove to Wayne Industries R&D facility and met with her old group from the Block in the basement. No one mentioned her statement, just welcomed her with open arms as they had in the past. No questions were asked about the ring on her finger and she didn't open up to the group as in the past but no one asked her to. Just like at the Block, some nights she talked and others she listened. Alfred seemed happy with her listening. Afterward she was hugged by each of them, told they were relieved she had survived Doomsday.

Kara gave them her thanks but wondered if Kara Danvers had survived Doomsday.

Before leaving the cave, she borrowed a special cutting torch and a small promethium wrench from Bruce's tool chest.

This morning, fresh off her thirty minute brain altering session and scans afterward, she was back to return what she had taken. The girl had actually woken up early that morning and gotten what she wanted done, the much larger appendages for Kelex attached. From this point it would be internal work on the circuitry and hardware.

She had not checked with Kelex about who was in the Batcave and was pleasantly surprised to find it mostly empty.

Not quite empty though. She heard the heartbeat; the grunts and the air being sliced. Using her X ray vision she saw Arthur Curry practicing in a training room, using his trident as a weapon at superhuman speed that impressed her. Though not as fast as Diana, she suspected, Curry definitely had skill.

He also had his shirt off.

Kara let out a breath and dropped her head.

Deciding if she was going to destroy things there was no reason to go half way, she approached the training room.

Curry was surprised to see her.

"Wasn't expecting to see you around the emo castle." he told her with a grin. Kara couldn't help but notice the sweat he had worked up. She remembered sweating when she had the crystal in her. The feeling of working out using her own depowered strength had given her such a sense of confidence.

"Wasn't expecting you to be fighting an imaginary enemy. I've done that a lot in my life." she admitted.

Kara realized what she must have looked like, old blue jeans and an old Star Wars t shirt on, her oldest sneaks, hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. She would be continuing to work on Kelex and this was part of her work wardrobe, whether she was rebuilding motorcycles or making weapons for her sister.

"Missing the ocean?" Kara asked. "I can't imagine Gotham Harbor is a fun place to swim."

The man laughed, walking closer to her.

"Its a damn waste dump. But Bruce pays me to be here and not run off. I like it. Being part of this, its probably the first important thing I have done in my life. I've been wanting to apologize to you, offering you that drink..."

"Don't." Kara stopped him. "The last thing I want is people to treat me differently or to pity me. I didn't mind. So how much is Bruce paying you? Enough to keep you on dry land?"

The man shook his head. "Its not about the money. I'm here for other reasons. What are you doing here?"

Kara smiled, thinking she might get somewhere despite her appearance.

"Bringing back some tools I borrowed last night. Finished with them earlier. If you ever want to swim in some actual clean water, let me know. I could use a swim myself. Antarctica is fun. Plenty of Russian subs to play around with. Drives them crazy."

Curry grinned, seeing where this was going.

"I'm the fastest swimmer in the world but it would still take me about 20 hours to get there." he admitted. "It does sound appealing."

"How would you like to be there in a few seconds? I'm nowhere near the fastest swimmer in the world but I don't need to breathe and I can hold my own with Orcas. No one is in the Fortress right now. We could take a quick dip. Bruce doesn't keep you chained down here, does he?"

Curry looked around the place, seeing that nothing on Brother Eye had anything interesting going on.

"Freaky computer thing!"

"Yes?" Brother Eye answered.

"If something pops up, call J'onn. I'm stepping out for a while. I think he is with that Fox guy." Curry motioned to Kara. "Lead the way."

A few moments later, Curry found himself inside a giant crystal structure.

"Damn." he whispered. "A lot nicer than Bruce's cave." he admitted, trying not to let awe seep into his voice.

"I like it." Kara told him, not fooled. She knew he was impressed. The girl zipped away and came back quickly, without her red ankle bracelet and wearing a black Speedo racing suit.

"Nice suit. I think I'll stick to my jeans. Speedos have never really been my style."

Kara did not mind.

"I would have to agree. Jeans suit you. Follow me."

The two walked to the door that was hardly used anymore, the original door leading out into and out of the Fortress. Before Curry had a chance to complain, Kara had him from behind, flying the two low over the Antarctic Continent.

She didn't stop moving until they reached the water and dropped him into it. Rather than being annoyed or upset, he actually sounded like he was howling in joy when he hit the surface and plunged into the icy water. Kara performed a loop in the air and took a deep breath, crashing below, finding him waiting for her.

The man was smiling, his hair floating in the water behind him and beckoned her with a finger.

Kara followed, amazed at the ease he was swimming. The man swam like she flew, effortlessly and fast. The blonde knew he was holding back as well.

After ten minutes, the breath Kara had stored was out and she remembered the feeling of being without oxygen but it was not there. Her ring allowed her to fly in space without the need to breath because her blood did not need oxygen any longer. Even without her band, the girl realized with red energy running through her system she would not need to oxygenate her ruined blood. There was so much she still needed to learn about this weapon.

Curry found a pod of Orcas and motioned Kara over. He grabbed on by the dorsal fin and stood on top of the creature. Kara did the same and held on as the massive creature rose to the surface, jumping over the waves.

She had touched many Orcas, swam beside them but never surfed one. It was a unique feeling and despite her superhuman abilities, nearly slipped off more than a few times.

The blonde then heard a ping, one she knew well, and the sound of water sliding around a massive object. She took off deep, Curry following her.

Swimming up to the massive Russian sub, she was glad to see he was smiling, apparently amused by her games. She began knocking on the outside shell while he began banging on the front. They both heard alarms going off and shot away, not stopping till they reached the bottom, twenty miles away and four hundred feet deep.

Kara took a look at the man, wondering what her next move would be. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she had an hour tops before someone would be waiting for her in the Fortress. Perhaps it was time to take him back to land.

With a wave of Curry's hand, she found herself in a large pocket of air, water swirling around them constantly.

"What is this?" she asked, now the one in awe. It was like having a water fall circling around her.

"Its how we talk, Atlanteans anyway. How they...I'm half human but I got all the benefits it seems. Talking with water in your lungs tends to put a downer on conversations."

"That's amazing. You definitely got some benefits. How often do people tell you that you have gorgeous eyes? Is that an Atlantean thing or all you?"

Curry moved closer to her and smiled, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Kara, a year ago, we wouldn't have wasted time surfing Killer Whales. You are gorgeous. Problem is, I'm not that guy anymore. At this moment I really wish I was. See I may not be the king of Atlantis but I am the king of using violence, alcohol and meaningless sex to avoid problems. That's what you are doing right now and it isn't the answer."

Kara jerked away from him.

"You don't know me. Thanks for the swim."

"Run then, little girl." Curry told her.

Kara stopped and turned back towards him.

"I do not run. If you aren't interested thanks for the fun. Feel free to come back to the Fortress and you can go back to Gotham Harbor." Kara told him, embarrassed and hiding it behind anger as usual.

"If you don't run, why don't you tell me why you really brought me to this continent?"

"You know why." she told him sharply. "You look like the kind of guy who likes fun. I'm the kind of girl who likes fun. It should be simple to figure out. If I'm not your type, my mistake."

Curry shook his head. "Kara you are all kinds of my type. Hard, strong, beautiful, passionate. I've heard enough of your story from others to piece you together. I recognize my own. Only we change. I've gone through a lot of changes, and you have gone through one hell of a change recently. Its no big deal, people like us roll with the punches and keep swinging. It doesn't have to be that way though."

Kara stepped closer to him and looked up into his eyes.

"I don't have a fight anymore. I can't blow off steam like you can. I need different outlets."

"You need to get your shit together so maybe you and Stick can be happy cause I got news for you, all the sex in the world isn't going to fill that hole you got. Can I tell you a story about Barry? I guess you don't want to talk about him right now so feel free to swim away."

Kara didn't leave, though a part of her was thinking of leaving him to swim a day back to Gotham.

"I guess you know he killed Atrocitus. Took him out, just like we planned. I admit when I met him, I thought the guy was a joke. Yeah, he was fast but so what? Speed isn't everything if you can't stop what you hit. Hell he barely knew how to hit. Without the Flash thing going on he would pretty much get his ass kicked in every fisherman's bar in Norway. But the more I watched him, the more I saw what else he got inside him."

"I know what kind of heart he has. I don't need you telling me about it." Kara said.

"Yeah, but do you know how tough he is? We raided an alien bomb making facility in Scotland. Didn't know we were so well traveled, did you? I took on an Anunnake, those guys who claimed to have wiped out dinosaurs, remember?"

Kara nodded her head.

"I've met a few. Strong, not great fighters though. They rely on weapons."

"Maybe they do with you but some of us aren't in their playing field with strength. I was feeling pretty good. I got to cut loose and was destroying the bastard. Diana, J'onn and Bruce were out getting information and I was alone. Least I thought I was. I cracked that guys skull when I hear some hum behind me. I turn and there is one of those guys with the biggest damn gun I ever seen and it was glowing. He fired and before the energy bolt hit me, Barry Allen picks me up, all 6'6 and 250 pounds of me and moves me out of the way, then hits the guy so hard he knocked him out. I looked at the wall and that damn gun blew a chunk of three foot concrete out. I don't know if I would have survived that, but I didn't have to find out cause Allen was on it. He is strong, he is tough and we don't protect him. We watch each other's backs but he is there because of his heart, his skill and because he is tough. I trust him with my life. Maybe you should have a little faith in him too."

Kara shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms.

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter. Its done, over with. It should have been done a lot earlier. I never should have brought him into this."

Arthur nodded his head. "That's your call. I'm not big on matters of the heart and you know what you got to deal with. I'm just suggesting you not make the same mistake I did. I was looking to get over a girl I could never have by sleeping with every girl I gave a wink to. The eyes don't hurt my case. You are better than that. I'm better than that. We are going to be better than that. So since we both know this isn't going to happen, want to screw with that sub some more or head back to your hangout?"

Kara grinned at him and relaxed. She found she really liked him. He wasn't what she expected. "I have something I need to do. Maybe we can do it again some other time?"

Curry shook his head. "Damn, I wish I had never grown a conscience girl. You are gorgeous. I blame this on Diana. Let's head back. Next time I can give you a tour of one of those torpedo bays."

The two returned shortly back to the Fortress and entered through the large entrance.

Clark was waiting for them, arms crossed and a frown on his face.

"Are we selling tickets to the Fortress now?" the boy asked.

Kara dropped her head, wishing it had been Alex or Eliza who had been waiting on her. Anyone besides her Dad and Clark.

"Just stopped by for a swim, Superman. Kara is going to let me through one of those gates and I'm going right back to the Batcave." Curry assured the boy who did not look happy.

Kara walked him to the transporter and gave him a hug until Clark cleared his throat. Once Curry had stepped through the circle of light, she turned back to her little brother.

"What is it going to cost me for you to keep this quiet?" she asked, not bothering with niceties.

"Quiet? I was on Team Flash. I thought we were all on Team Flash. I was going to have t shirts made. Now you have switched over to Team Fish? What is that all about? He probably smells like tuna or something all the time."

Kara shook her head and knelt next to Clark, looking him in his eyes.

"He is a friend, that's all. We were out for a swim."

"A swim you don't want Mom and Dad to know about." he countered.

"Clark..."

"It's fine. I don't want to think about it. I won't say anything. Alex and Dad are about to be here for your brainwashing session. Maybe after enough of those you won't want to swim so often." he told her, flashing that evil grin she loved so much. "After your brainwashing session we are going to get together at my place. Jess is here for our session."

"Your place?" Kara asked humorously then realized what he said. "I can't have sessions with Jess. My therapist from hell won't allow me to."

Clark patted her on the shoulder, not holding back in strength. He almost knocked her off balance. He was getting a lot stronger.

"Family counseling sessions. Just like those ones you used to have only I get to be involved. Dr. Evil approved them. She also ate all your microwave pizzas yesterday. We need to talk about you keeping my favorite foods stocked at your house, especially if I am going to have to keep anymore swimming lessons on the down low, right?"

"Family session? You are serious?"

"Am I the type of guy to joke about something that makes you extremely uncomfortable? I take joy in them but I never lie about them happening. This is happening. Mom is on a no sugar kick so make sure to pick up some ice cream and Oreos for your place."

An hour later, a slightly nauseous Kara sat in the family living room, all of them taking up their familiar positions only with Clark on the floor, back to Kara's legs. The boy was way too happy.

"Okay," Jess started. "Kara, as usual this is a family session. All individual sessions are between you and Dr. Thompkins. Our goal here is the same as it always has been. We are going to work on communication among the family, talk about concerns we each have and try to heal as a group after recent events. Clark, you are new to these but feel free to speak at anytime with no fear of judgement."

Clark looked at her suspiciously. "When did you start sounding like a therapist?" he asked Jess.

"Shut up, brat." Alex told him.

"Judgement! That was judgement." the boy pointed out.

Jess took a deep breath and prepared mentally. She knew this would be tough and the addition of Clark was another ... development that would need to be smoothed over. Eliza insisted that he be here so he was. Jess had continued doing individual sessions with the parents and Alex but the family meetings had gone by the way side since the Block.

"Okay, lets open it like we always do. Who has something on their mind they would like to talk about?"

All five hands shot up.

Jess closed her eyes and hoped the massive headache she felt coming would hold off for at least an hour.

"Let's start with you, Clark. This is your first time so tell us what is on your mind." the woman decided. She hoped if he had some innocent questions, it might ease into a less intense conversation.

Clark cleared his throat.

"First, I would like to say thanks for including me. This is pretty neat. I would also like to thank Alex and Kara. Between Kara slaughtering thousands of White Martians and Alex weaponizing Kryptonian battle suits you guys are making me look like the best kid ever. Also guess who Kara was swimming with earlier?"


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38 Prayers for the Dead**

"That was a strike! Jeremiah, tell him that was a strike! Don't just sit there!" Eliza shouted.

It had been three weeks since Jeremiah had been cajoled into coaching Clark's Little League baseball team. Three weeks since the man realized that even with a red ankle bracelet covered by his uniform pants, the boy had lost none of the promise he showed before his powers and was an amazing pitcher.

Between Kara's brain scans and Alex continuing to work on perfecting the bands while minimizing the side effects, as well as Eliza's hovering, the need for a coach was the perfect stress relief. He had not spent enough time with Clark in his mind, especially considering the recent events of their lives and working with 12 year old athletes was enjoyable. Clark had made fast friends in Midvale and was adjusting to the change well. It was a joy to see him blossoming and he wished Kara had one of these bracelets growing up here. Of course she could have hurt herself worse growing up but perhaps being a part of something, a team, may have helped her. It was certainly helping Clark.

Yes, it was the perfect stress relief.

Until today, the first game.

Clark had gone three innings, not allowing a hit, but Eliza seemed to believe every ball her baby threw was a strike. She also wanted Jeremiah to challenge every called ball.

He sat on a bucket in front of the dugout, doing his best to ignore her, while Clark did the same on the mound.

"Mom, I am so glad to be the one to finally say this. You need to calm down. He is doing great and it was a ball. He can't throw..." Kara tried.

Eliza hushed her. "Do you watch baseball, Kara? Alex? Do either of you know anything about the sport? I know baseball and I know the difference between a strike and a ball."

Alex and Kara grinned at each other and let it go. Jeremiah may have wished he could become invisible but it wasn't going to happen.

It was during a break between innings that Kara realized the one of the heartbeat she recognized and could find among thousands was here. Looking to her right, she found him past the small stands near the first base line fence, watching intently.

The blonde hadn't talked to Barry since that night. She had returned his ring to the Batcave and asked Bruce to give it to him, to give him the option and gave the monitoring codes to Alfred to assure Barry Kelex would not be watching if he decided to wear the suit. Kara had not watched the news, as was a habit of hers, but between meetings with her group, sessions with her therapist, crystal bands, working on Kelex, and meditation, while also dealing with the side effects of her ever changing brain activity, including 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night, she barely had time to take the required food Eliza stuffed down her, despite her complete lack of appetite.

Now he was here.

Kara took a deep breath to relax herself and stood. Alex grabbed her hand and asked if she would be okay and Kara gave her a quick nod. Eliza didn't notice Kara's movements for once as she was busy updating her score book.

She walked slowly to the man and noted that he didn't turn toward her, either because he hadn't noticed her or didn't want to speak. Kara couldn't blame him if he didn't want to speak and wondered if Clark had said something to him about the Curry incident as Alex referred to it.

"Hi."

Barry noticed her then and the look on his face was indecipherable. It was a great poker face, she admitted.

"Hi...I didn't come to bother you." he greeted her. "I wasn't sure if I should come but Clark kept bugging me, he still plays X Box way too late and I finally promised I would be here. I can go if you want."

Kara noted he looked tired, his eyes wouldn't meet hers and she wondered if he was sleeping at all.

"No, I think it is great that you are here. I know it will make Clark happy." Kara assured him. "You can... sit with us if you want."

Barry shook his head. "I need to run back to Central City in a little bit. I'm going to watch Clark's last at bat, then I'm sure something is going on in Central City. Wally wanted to spend some time practicing tonight...it doesn't matter. I appreciate the offer though."

Kara understood and wasn't surprised.

"I should get back before Mom takes her attention off her scorebook and the umpire and notices I'm gone. She sort of keeps me chained to her side. I'll...let Clark know you were here."

Kara walked back over to the stands. There was a lot she wanted to say to him but wasn't sure where to begin and this didn't seem the place. She wasn't sure where the place was. Taking her seat between her mother and Alex, she relaxed a bit, but still felt...weird. Maybe in the past she had tried to push him away but being around Barry always felt natural. This time it felt awkward, not that she should be surprised. Kara caused this.

"He hasn't been sleeping." Kara whispered to Alex.

"Doesn't look like it." the older sister agreed, not commenting further.

Being the home team, gave the Midvale Wolves the last at bat of the game. Tied at 0-0 it looked to be going to extra innings. Kara supposed the bands were working and not just providing the side effects. Despite being surrounded by people in her Kara Danvers guise, she did not feel that anxious, only ready to be away from the smell of some of the fans and popcorn which for some reason she was not enjoying.

With two outs, Clark stepped to the plate.

It was on the second pitch that he made contact for the first time in the game, launching the ball over the Centerfield fence with distance to spare to win the game.

Kara and Alex were so happy, they didn't even mind Eliza screaming in joy and rushing the dugout. Thankfully she couldn't get past the locked gate, preventing her from rushing the field and kissing her baby in front of the entire town.

The blonde looked for Barry and saw him grin then walk off, no doubt planning to run back to Central City the moment he was clear of spectators.

That tampered her joy but the look on Clark's face made it difficult not to smile. He was glowing and it felt so good to see him like this. She had realized long ago how lucky he was to be raised here and not on Krypton.

Or by her.

Shaking her head to clear those thoughts she joined Alex in congratulating her little brother who was torn himself, wanting to hug everyone but wanting to be cool about it.

After pizza and ice cream, the family arrived back at the parents' house where Kara was promptly sent upstairs to her old room and Alex once again for the last time that day, placed what Kara referred to as her tiara on her head while she sat on her make believe throne.

The blonde was a bit irritated that her sister was looking at her phone the entire time. Normally Alex would do this at the Fortress or their house where she had the tech to watch her brain activity constantly.

"What game are you playing?" Kara asked.

"I'm not. I'm watching your tiny brain and monitoring your potassium levels and the difference in your serotonin reabsorption rates from the past week. I think I finally have figured out how to fine tune these crystals after all these years. You have been feeling better, getting out of bed with no problem and not as depressed overall but still bouts of nausea, decrease in appetite and dizziness. I'm trying to adjust the energy just enough to cut down on these symptoms."

Kara shook her head, trying to understand how she was...

"You have an app for my brain?!"

"Yep, made it myself. I call it Airhead. It's pretty ingenious. Don't worry, nothing can get out. Its information coming directly from Kelex. No one can cut into a Kryptonian signal, you know that. Now stay quiet and rest. Think happy thoughts. You have a play date tonight and I don't want you stressed beforehand."

Kara laughed quietly. "I'm not stressed." she assured Alex.

"Whatever. So what did Barry have to say?" the brunette asked.

Kara was no longer smiling. "I thought you wanted me to think happy thoughts?"

"That bad?" Alex guessed. "It didn't look like you were fighting or doing much else."

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "We really didn't say anything. There wasn't much to say. He was there for Clark."

Alex shook her head, frustrated but not wanting to push her sister. Maybe one day in the future Kara would realize what she could have but until they could figure out the problem with the ring and get her head straightened out, nothing good would come from extended contact.

An hour later as the sun sank down into the ocean, Guy Gardner was at the door, suited up in his red and black. Jeremiah was leery around the man, who wouldn't be, but Guy had been allowing Veritas and anyone else Bruce thought could help, unlock the secrets of a red ring. He was pretty positive the Green Lanterns would never let any humans look closely at their rings.

"Hello Dr Danvers." Guy greeted them.

"Eliza and Jeremiah." the mother corrected him and asked him inside. Before he could take them up on their offer, Kara was downstairs.

"You ready?" she asked, stepping outside.

"Kara, stop." the mother ordered. She looked at Gardner and his wrist, happy to see he was wearing a watch over whatever energy fabric he had on. "You are sure your watch will work in space? I want her back in four hours at her house. I will be ready to help her sleep. Kara what are the rules?"

Though Kara hadn't allowed her ring to morph her clothes, she felt red already, only from embarrassment instead of anger.

"Please don't." she quietly begged.

Jeremiah lifted an eyebrow and crossed his arms. The girl let out a huff and decided she had no choice.

"No killing sentient life forms, no matter how much they deserve it." she recited. "No traveling to unknown regions, stay away from Oa, stay away from Greens, stay away from Ysmault, no attacking other creatures and rationalizing it as self defense and only use the ring until it feels settled and then right back to Earth, early if I can."

Eliza kissed her cheek. "Try to stay calm and come back to us. This is the same as heat vision. Learn to control it, don't let it control you. I love you."

Once they were inside, Guy Gardner began snickering. Kara did her best to ignore him and let her ring's power flow through and over her.

Unlike her biker get up from three weeks ago, this time she was in the black, along with thigh high red boots and a red cape, the ever present Red Lantern symbol over her chest.

The two shot into the sky, Kara following her instincts and reaching the other Reds waiting for her above the Earth's atmosphere.

Skallax, and Bleez were both grinning though it was hard to tell in Skallox's case.

"Did Mommy pack you a lunch also?" the goat headed Skallox asked.

Kara struck him with an energy blast that sent him tumbling uncontrollably through space. The man gained control eventually and moved back quickly to the group who Gardner had caught up with.

"Looks like she is having you for lunch, Skallox." Bleez told him humorously.

"She does pack a punch." the Red admitted, rubbing his chest.

"I was holding back." Kara told him. She had promised her parents she wouldn't kill and for the first time was able to control the intensity of the blast.

Barely.

"Yes you were." Gardner told her, approvingly. "I'm not sure what you went through to control heat vision but controlling this ring is as easy or as hard as you make it. Its part of you, and using it is as simple as thinking. If you wanted him dead, he would be dead. You didn't so the ring didn't kill him. Skallox, mind your manners."

The man scoffed.

"Get her away from a yellow sun and I'll take the girl to Lantern school."

Bleez hit the man in the back if his head.

"Can't you sense it?" the blue alien asked. "She has more power than Atrocitus, more rage. She will destroy you no matter what sun she is under. The only difference is under a yellow sun, she will have to take the time to decide if she will use heat vision or the power of the ring to incinerate you. Do not challenge her. We are trying to help her, not get you killed."

"Let's go to Callisto." Gardner cut in before Bleez gave Kara any ideas. Skallox was an acquired taste. "Kara, it's one of Jupiter's moons..."

"I know the stars, Guy." Kara told him, irritated by the talk already and wanting action, seriously considering taking the goat head to a red or blue sun and destroying him.

Bleez opened a portal and the foursome flew through, arriving about a mile above the moon's surface.

"Okay Kara, Bleez placed some combat droids on the surface. We are going to skim about five hundred feet over the surface. The beams won't have any effect on you but they will affect us so if you could please take them out..."

Gardner stopped speaking as Kara raised her arm. Five separate blasts shot from her ring, moving fast enough that the Lanterns couldn't keep track. Small explosions were heard down below, muffled due to the height and the very minimal, poisonous atmosphere.

"That's five down. One left on the other side of the moon. What do you want me to do with it?"

None of the three had an answer immediately. Finally Gardner shook his head.

"How did you do that?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "I saw them, raised my hand and thought about destroying them. One beam turned into five. This is just a big rock. I can see through it, no lead in its crust or core. I can fire my ring through the center of the moon to destroy the last one from below its location but I may split a large chunk of the moon open and give astronomers something to gawk at. You are right, using this ring is easy. I let go on Mars but I also became one with it. I can destroy whatever I want with a thought. What about it Skallox? Want to go to a galaxy without a yellow sun and try your luck?"

The creature shook his head quickly. "No, I'm good."

Gardner felt a bit of fear. Red Lanterns were powerful and Bleez was right. Not even Atrocitus could have pulled that off. He also had no doubt Kara could split this rock in half and that would definitely have an effect on Jupiter.

A thought passed through his mind that she could destroy the Guardians but he shook it away. That was the ring talking.

Bleez looked at him and he could almost read her mind. Kara could wipe out the rest of the Sinestro Corp, raid Oa and take the bastard from them and give him to Bleez.

Kara would need little to no encouragement to do this, if she knew what the Sinestro Corps had done to Bleez. Gardner shook his head towards her. The woman nodded but he knew the thought was still there. Gardner was certain if another war broke out among the different Corps, the Reds would win. He also knew that many would die and Kara would be a Lantern from that point on, no hope of turning back. He couldn't let that happen.

"Let's skim the surface and you can check out this napalm breath we all have. I know you used it to disintegrate Doomsday but you need to know the range and how it feels in a controlled environment."

Kara shot off, leaving the Reds scrambling behind her. She arrived over the droid, too high for it to pick her up on radar.

"Okay," Gardner told her, "when you get close, say within twenty feet or so, let that anger you feel when you use your ring, gather in your midsection. Flex it and just breathe, sort of like you use your freeze breath I imagine."

"Why do I need to get within twenty feet?" the blonde asked and opened her mouth towards the surface. Unlike the rest of the Reds who vomited a napalm like substance that could burn practically anything short of Doomsday to dust, Kara expelled a pure stream of fire, racing to the moon's surface and scouring whatever it touched, disintegrating rocks, hardening ground and vaporizing the remaining droid.

Leaving the speechless Lanterns behind, she landed quickly on the surface, causing the ground to shake. Kara looked around at her destructive blast radius, satisfied. One of her favorite things to do was star gaze with Jeremiah and she knew everything there was to know about the cratered surface of this relatively large moon in comparison to Earth's moon. She had scorched the icy ground, leaving more indentations in the already cratered rock.

The blonde decided to perform her own tests and report back to her father. Despite seeing through the moon, she didn't get a good look at the structure. Unleashing her energy into the surface, she drilled deep with no problem, moving towards the core. When she hit 200 kilometers she broke through into a type of salty liquid, the heavily theorized salty ocean that lay deep below the moon's surface. Deciding it was too dark to see much, even with her vision and the light of her ring, not that there was much to see, Kara twisted and shot to the surface where her three fellow Reds were waiting for her.

"Ocean or more ice?" Gardner asked, trying to take in the ease she had drilled into the incredibly hard crust and how quickly she had done so.

"Ocean. Smelt like trace amounts of ammonia. I didn't go to the bottom. I was afraid I wouldn't stop and destroy the core." the blonde explained.

Gardner nodded his head. "The planet Jupiter appreciates your restraint. So not many canyons or mountains to destroy here and our play targets are gone...in seconds. Where do you want to go now? We still have...3 hours and 45 minutes."

Kara thought about it, not sure. Deciding to listen to her ring, the answer became clear. She looked at her blue skinned companion.

"When I was in the Blood Lake, I saw everything, Bleez. Let's go to Korugar. I know there are still Sinestro Corp members hiding there. They aren't all dead. We can take revenge, Bleez. We could wipe them out in less than an hour and continue to..."

"Kara!" Gardner snapped. The blonde actually growled at him for daring to challenge her. She wanted blood tonight.

"Growl all you want girl, we aren't here for you to lose yourself in a blood lust. Stop letting that ring control you. If Bleez was still hellbent on complete destruction she would have killed them already. We would have been with her. She had her revenge on the ones who harmed her. It's over."

Kara looked at Bleez and saw the temptation on her face.

"Is it over, Bleez?" the blonde asked with a big smile. "Or do..."

"Kara stop." Bleez whispered. "I...I appreciate the sentiment and while our rage gives us power our minds cannot give in completely or we may as well have never gone into the Blood Lake. Calm yourself. You promised your parents you would not lose control or start fights. We are here for control. You don't want anything to control you, right? Not Guy, not me and not the ring."

Kara did calm. She had felt the power of Bleez's ring flare when Korugar was mentioned but it calmed itself quickly. It was her revenge, not Kara's.

Shaking her head, clearing her thoughts, Kara apologized.

"I shouldn't have brought it up. I am sorry, Bleez."

The woman placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It is fine. You feel my emotions and you know my history as I know yours. We are together in this. None of us asked for it but even once you have the ring safely taken off, we will still be part of the same thing, always. Let's go sightseeing. Are there any planets you have always wanted to see that don't have sentient life forms you want to destroy? Think of it, like you thought of Mars and take us there."

Kara did think. There were many places she had heard about; places Lobo had traveled that she had never been. Avalon had always sounded so nice.

Then it occurred to her. There was a place, devoid of life where she wanted to be. She had a chance to do something she always wanted to do.

Reaching out, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Unlike getting to Earth or here, this was more difficult.

A portal opened and she flew through.

There was no planet here. She knew there wouldn't be. It was nothing but deep space, thousands of light years from Earth, but the constellations were so familiar to her because she studied them from her earliest days.

"Hey kid, I think you screwed up." Skallox told her. "There isn't a planet here. I was just kidding about fighting under a different color sun. I really don't want to."

"There will be no fighting here." Kara told him. "This is sacred space. A planet once orbited here. It is gone now but its sun remains. Daxam, what is left of it, should be on the other side of Rao."

Kara took a closer look at the stars, the distance from Rao, the speed and rotation of the former orbit. She closed her eyes and thought, advanced equations, thousands of thoughts running through her head. Even near a red sun, Kara did not need her old powers to think. She had always been brilliant, no matter what Zor El may have thought.

Opening her eyes she flew, keeping herself centered, using the constellations in relation to Rao to circle the sun in the same orbit Krypton would have had. She found Daxam an hour later. Backtracking, her Lanterns following behind, now that she had the definite rotation and season of the long dead planet she could find what she was looking for. It wasn't long until they ran into an asteroid field, exactly where she knew it would be.

The asteroids were not typical space rocks, but large boulders, some the size of small mountains and radioactive, the green energy sparkling in space.

Landing on one of the smaller ones, the Lanterns silently behind her, she took in the remains of her home planet.

"This is what is left of Krypton." she whispered.

No one said a word, not even Skallox. Kara slowly turned, taking it all in. She tried to imagine the planet's size, tried to imagine the magnetic poles and wondered if she could find the exact spot in space at this moment where her room once was.

But it was pointless. Even Kara's vast intellect could not be that precise. All she knew for certain was she was standing on a piece of what used to be Krypton, in the spot Krypton would have been.

The girl knelt on both knees and bowed her head. Before she began, she looked at her fellow Lanterns.

"I can get back to Earth on my own. My ring feels fine after my drilling session on Callisto. You don't have to wait. I need to pray."

Gardner and Bleez floated down beside her.

"I never took you for the religious sort." Gardner said.

"I'm not, but a young girl named Kara Zor El was. She deserves the prayers to be said as do her people."

Bleez placed a hand on her back.

"As I told you, we are one now. If you pray, we pray."

Kara nodded her head and began whispering. She spoke of Rao's light, the setting of life and a new birth. She spoke of love, loss and living on in the stars. She began singing, a song that was joyous and yet somehow mournful at once. She offered herself to the bidding of the sun, begged Rao to take her people into his eternal protection and warmth.

When she was finished, she stood, the others standing with her. Skallox remained quiet, Gardner and Bleez's red aura's shining brightly, tears streaking down their faces.

"Thank you for being with me. Kara Zor El may be gone, but perhaps I can try and keep some of her alive. I'm going home now."

Gardner opened up a portal and the three flew away. Kara took one last look at the remains of her planet, now an asteroid belt, no different from billions in the ever expanding universe.

A circle of red and Kara was alone above her home in Midvale. She wasn't sure where the other Lanterns had gone, perhaps back to Ysmault. Inside, Alex was pacing in the living room, no doubt waiting for her to return with her parents and Clark who were watching her television on her couch. She smiled and landed in the yard facing the cliff and her ring calmed as her clothes returned to normal.

Walking inside an hour early, she could almost feel the relief that ran through the room. Alex hugged her tightly.

"Did it go okay? Feeling better? You didn't kill anything, did you?"

Kara chuckled and backed away only for her father to grab her.

"It went fine. No wars were started but I was tempted. I have good news for you, Dad. There is an ocean under the surface of Callisto. I went into it. It was salty, nasty and had a scent of ammonia."

"I knew it! I knew it wasn't thicker ice. It was the only explanation for the varying background magnetic conductive sphere. Not bad for an amateur astronomer. Can you bring me back a sample next time?" he asked, annoying Eliza with his excitement. When she suggested the moon, she meant Earth's.

"There won't be a next time because we are going to get this ring off her and then no more flying in space. Was that all you did tonight?" the worried woman asked.

Kara shook her head.

"I found the remains of Krypton. I saw Rao and stood on a meteor that was once part of the planet. I said the prayers for my people and I finally said goodbye. I know you probably aren't happy with that, but I needed to do it."

Eliza kissed her forehead.

"And now it's done?"

"Yep. Now it's done."

"You are okay?" she asked, searching for any of Kara's tell tale signs of lying. She had picked them up well over the years.

"I am." Kara assured her and to her own surprise actually meant it. "I always knew it had to be done. Now it has been. Alex, I don't want to be alone tonight. Would you sleep with me?"

"Of course." Alex told her, already planning to. The sedative band did wonders for her sleep but if anything could disturb her slumber it would be this.

Clark walked up to her and took her hand.

"You saw what was left of Krypton. What was it..." the boy stopped, not knowing what to say.

"It's gone. I just had to put its people to rest. It's the past, Clark. Earth is our home. You need to get some sleep and dream about hitting more homeruns while Lana is watching. That's all that matters now."

Clark tried to scowl but in Kara's opinion was too cute to. "I don't care if Lana was watching." he told her then paused. "Was she watching?"

"Every move you made, Superman." Alex assured him. "Get some sleep. I'm about to knock your sister out. I like to play with her ears and nose before I go to sleep myself."

Alex's worries were unfounded. The band did not put her out immediately now, instead letting Kara feel drowsy and drift off gently. After she fell asleep, Alex lifted the band off her and placed it by the nightstand. Kara had no dreams that night and more importantly, no nightmares.

 **Central City S.T.A.R. Labs**

Cisco and Barry stood in the middle of the room watching Wally race around the speed track, checking his speed. The boy had gotten faster, not as fast as Barry but quite a bit faster than when he started.

Cisco looked up from the monitor, deciding someone had to say something and since Iris wasn't going to it fell on him.

"Barry, you look like hell. Go home, get some sleep."

Barry shook his head. "What gives you the idea I can sleep when I am home? I saw her today, Cisco."

That was a surprise. Cisco knew he had taken the day off of work but had hoped he was relaxing. Apparently, he had ran to North Carolina.

"Where?"

"Clark invited me to his baseball game. I stood away but she hasn't been wearing any red sun devices I guess. She heard me. I think she was wrapped up in watching Clark so she didn't hear me at first. I tried to stay out of sight but with her hearing, for all I knew she heard my heartbeat."

Cisco was surprised but he wasn't sure why. Of course Supergirl could tell the difference in individual heartbeats.

"Did the two of you talk?" he asked hesitantly.

The look on Barry's face told him the answer.

"Not much. Just said hi. She invited me to sit with them but I didn't. It would have been awkward. I told myself I wouldn't push my way into her life again. I shouldn't have gone but I did. She looked good. It was hard...it was hard not to..."

Hold her was what he was trying to say but couldn't. Cisco understood.

"Barry, has she ever said...you said she was under that lake of gross for four days. Has she ever talked to you about what she saw?"

The man shook his head. "Not in detail. Not with me, anyway. I'm sure Alex knows. Why?"

Cisco shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to think about it but figuring Barry should know.

"When Gardner showed up here and made me touch his ring, it gave me a vibe...it showed me a nightmare. I saw Ysmault, I saw that monster you killed, I saw what he did to make those rings. I saw the blood and the rage. I'm just saying, if I got that from a touch, who knows what she saw with one of those things on her under that lake. I saw that lake, Barry. It scared the hell out of me. I could barely speak after he left. If she saw what I saw but over four days, it had to scar her. Something like that, I couldn't imagine it. Those wars...you told me Stewart can make those constructs and while that sounds cool, those rings, they are weapons. They have taken lives, a lot of lives. This Lantern stuff, it's a world we don't understand. I don't want to understand it. I would guess there was a reason aliens didn't talk about them. The sad thing is, the Reds, I don't think they were the worst. I think it was the yellow ones."

Barry shivered, thinking about that. It was true when they sparred together, Stewart's ring did amuse Barry. He made green constructs which in Barry's opinion weren't much more than balloon animals.

But the more he watched, the more he understood just how dangerous that ring could be. Atrocitus knocked Diana back with one of those blasts. Yeah, they killed him, but the first time they had met him, they were very lucky he didn't take some of them out. He had given away his secrets with that display and it led to his downfall, allowing them not to underestimate him and develop a plan to end him quickly. The Green rings were attracted to individuals with great will power. Reds were attracted to the angriest, most powerful beings in the Universe. According to Stewart, Reds could conceivably make constructs, they just didn't bother, preferring to destroy. Before she got a ring, a fight between Kara and Atrocitus could have destroyed the planet.

Not that is mattered.

The man thought often of the pictures that were in Kara's parents house. The pictures of her as a child caught his attention. She smiled in photos with her family but there was always something there, something in her eyes, anxiety, sadness perhaps.

She was always waiting to be attacked.

The photos of her on Krypton were different. She was innocent, not a care in the world. Kryptonian children may have had enormous amounts of pressure on them but they were still children. Kara never got to be a child on Earth. She was a mother when she landed for all intents and then when she didn't have to be any longer she broke down.

Maybe one day that little girl could come back.

Maybe not.

It wasn't up to him now. He had to stay away, give her the space she wanted. He had his ring on, the one Bruce gave back to him, and told himself he would always wear the suit. He should have been glad that she wasn't watching but wasn't. Being in it had made him feel like she was there in a way.

Caitlin and Dante walked into the room and Wally moved next to them.

"What was my speed?" he asked immediately.

Caitlin brushed him aside. "Forget about that. There is a big black...space craft, plane, something hovering over the parking lot. Its silent, it can barely be seen but it's there."

Cisco's jaw dropped. "We are under attack from aliens? Sweet! Let's suit up. Barry find out what kind they are."

"The Amazon kind." a new voice said. They all turned and their eyes widened except for Barry who was used to Diana's armored appearance. The others had seen glimpses of her on television and all but Wally had seen her at Bruce Wayne's Christmas party in a dress, but this was different. This wasn't the elegant woman who looked as if she belonged in high society.

This was a warrior with a sword and shield strapped to her back.

"Plus a Martian, an Atlantean and a couple humans. Barry, you didn't answer your phone."

Barry reached in his pocket and realized he left it in the main room.

"Sorry, I didn't...what's wrong?" He knew Diana didn't suit up for a night on the town in Central City.

"That is what we need to find out. There is a large energy source in the Greenland Ice cap. It has appeared practically overnight. Satellites cannot see any ships, man made or alien but whatever is there is putting out a tremendous amount of energy. Batman believes if it is a ship it could be using cloaking technology."

"Like a Klingon?" Cisco asked, before Caitlin could put a hand over his mouth.

Diana was amused at Snow's attempt to quiet the boy. "It is a valid question. It could be very similar in theory. Until we investigate on the ground we won't know. Barry?"

The Flash raised his hand and was suited up before she could blink. He had gotten very good with the ring.

"Let's go."

Cisco thought he already knew the answer but supposed he should try anyway.

"Could you guys use some help? We can be ready to go in five minutes or less. I could get dressed on the ...plane thing."

Diana, to his surprise, nodded her head. "There is something you can all do for me. If this is a trap and we fall, you will need to be prepared. Alfred is our primary filed support however he does need nights off. I understand you and Caitlin Snow are experts at monitoring situations in the field. If you wouldn't mind, I would like for you to listen in, see what he sees and watch how we operate. If I ask for support in the field and you feel as if you and your team can take one of your portals to our location, please do so. Study what we do, watch us, tell Alfred if you notice anything out of the ordinary and be prepared if we are defeated. Perhaps if you enjoy the challenge Alfred can stop complaining about his lack of a dating life and you can all take point on some missions. Does this sound acceptable?"

"Absolutely. I'll check now for his signal." Cisco assured her, practically running to the main control room.

Diana and Barry walked out of S.T.A.R. Labs into the parking lot, the others following. Caitlin, Dante and Wally couldn't help but be impressed as the landing bay was lowered to the ground and lifted up the two. The jet flew silently off into the night, Central City unaware that a large flying transport filled with the Justice League had just been there.

"That is a cool way to get a ride to work." Wally admitted.

Inside the lab Cisco had a headset on and was speaking to Alfred. Caitlin sat beside him in front of her monitor.

"Is this Dr. Snow?"

"Yes."

"A pleasure to hear your voice, Caitlin. I understand you and Master Ramon will be assisting me tonight?"

"Anything you need, sir." Cisco assured him, trying to keep the glee out of his voice.

"Excellent. While the team is no doubt sipping tea as I guide this large monstrosity through the air, I would appreciate if you could check all the seismographs in the surrounding area. By that I mean everyone within a thousand miles and check for anything unusual. I am not much of a hacker myself." Alfred lied. He had the second most advanced computer in the world, probably on par with Kara's.

"Yep, breaking in now. It will only take about five minutes."

"Perfect. The team will not reach the site for five hours and we need to find everything we can about the area. Once you have that done, I would be grateful if you could go over energy signatures I am sending over now. Brother Eye is working on decoding them but a pair of human eyes might offer more insight. Dr. Snow?"

"Yes Alfred?"

"I am sending you the real time bio scans of Bruce and Barry's suits. Please keep close watch on them on the ground. If they are struck as Master Bruce is prone to being, let me know the pressure and if any injury has occurred. Someone has to worry about his health since he doesn't. Any questions?"

"No sir." Cisco told him, glancing at a profile on Caitlin's screen of the Bat suit, one of many suits he was sure.

"Excellent. Let's begin working."

Cisco pulled a lollipop from his desk drawer and smiled at Caitlin.

"This is going to be SOOO cool!"

While Team Flash was discovering the wonder of Bruce Wayne's tech mixed with Kryptonian technology, Barry was listening to a rundown of Bruce's findings.

The end result was they knew nothing except there was a large source of power that had popped up on a Wayne Industries spy satellite and Brother Eye had confirmed it as an alien source but not one seen before.

"It's like they are sending out an invitation." Curry said. "Has the Navy picked this up?"

Bruce shook his head. "Brother Eye masked the signature minutes after it was found. If it is alien and as powerful as it seems we are most likely looking at a ship or a superweapon being set up. The military could be walking into an ambush or could send troops into inhospitable terrain to be taken out by aliens who obviously have bad intentions. This is ours. We go in, scout it out, find what we are dealing with and Diana can decide what we do after that. Everyone agree?"

Hearing no disagreements, the party broke up, Bruce going to do a diagnostic check, Curry beginning the timely process of putting on his armor and J'onn heading to the flight deck. Only Stewart, Barry and Diana remained.

"You sure you don't want me to fly ahead?" Stewart asked.

"No. If they are aware of the Lanterns which most species probably are now with the news of Kara spreading through the Universe, they could pick you up even in space. I don't want them to know anything until we are all together. Arthur is right, they are inviting us. We will find out why and handle it together."

Stewart shrugged his shoulders, satisfied. "You're the boss. I'm going to join J'onn on the flight deck. I think he is beginning to warm up to me."

Stewart left, leaving Barry and Diana alone at the table.

"Thanks," Barry told her, "for including my team. It means a lot to them."

Diana smiled and shook her head, pulling her sword from the table and a small block of promethium to begin unnecessarily sharpening it. It was a skill her Aunt Antiope taught her when she first began training and one that never failed to help her relax now.

"I didn't include them as a favor. Every time we go out, there is a chance some of us or all of us might not make it back. Alfred has other responsibilities with Kara at times and will want to retire one day. We always need people prepared to step up and they seem the most likely candidates. Those with gifts who want to use them for good, who are willing to fight are not easy to find. You are lucky to have the friends you do."

Barry grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"Kara doesn't think so. She doesn't even think I'm that good. Maybe I'm not. I guess you heard I nearly got fried a few weeks ago."

Diana sharpened her sword intently, not commenting on that. Usually she had some words of wisdom but the mention of Kara's name seemed to affect her, though she tried to hide it.

"Diana, are you alright?"

The woman nodded her head. "You are the one who hasn't been sleeping."

Barry didn't deny that. He was lucky if he got three hours a night.

"Yeah, I guess. You just seemed...never mind."

Diana took a moment then sat her sword on the table.

"When I fought Kara in Metropolis, I stopped her from killing the Green Lantern with my lasso. Do you remember?"

Barry remembered everything about that nightmare of a day.

"Yeah."

"What did you see happen?" she asked.

Barry thought of it, remembering how the fight started. He had gotten so close to talking her down and then the damn Green Lanterns arrived.

"You wrapped her waist with your lasso and then hit her in the head with the hilt of your sword."

Diana shook her head. "That isn't what happened to me. When I wrapped her, I asked her who she was. I hoped if she could talk again she might...instead I was taken into her mind."

"Her mind?" Barry asked doubtfully.

Diana nodded, looking at the table top. "I found her there, this scared little girl who had been hurt. She told me the monster wanted to kill her."

"Because of the ring? She was talking about the ring, right?" Barry hoped.

Diana winced, wondering if she should keep going. Regardless of whether she should, it didn't matter. She needed to talk about this and Barry seemed the one she felt comfortable with. She spoke to Bruce late into the night about almost everything but she could never tell him about this for some reason.

"No, she was talking about herself. I believe the ring was what finally pushed her in a corner, not allowing her to fight back. I asked her to take me to the monster. She led me to a room...a room of bodies."

Barry paled a bit. "Bodies?"

"It was a circular room with cavernous walls. Bodies hung by chained arms. Some were dead, some were tortured but alive, but all of them were people she had either killed or wanted to kill. Even Kara Danvers was on the wall."

The man shivered at the though of what being in the darkest place in Kara's mind would have been like.

"I was also there." Diana admitted quietly. "On the wall. The little girl went away and Kara appeared. She felt abandoned. She felt I left her on her own. She hated me, hates me for it. She would never admit it vocally but I know it is in her mind. The thing that bothers me the most is she was right. Perhaps that is why I defend Stewart as much as I do. He at least had a reason for staying out of the affairs of Earth. I just had no desire to help. I should have been there for her, for both the girls, by their side guiding them instead of observing from a distance."

Barry said nothing for a moment.

"Eliza and Jeremiah told Kara all the time that she owed nothing to this world." he remembered from his talks with Kara. "You didn't either. Kara has a lot of...you saw. That doesn't define who she is. You said it yourself, there is a little innocent girl somewhere inside her. Just because a part of her places some sort of blame on you doesn't mean that's how she really feels."

"I think we both know Kara hides how she really feels. What I saw was the truth. I knew who they both were. I was too curious not to find out, to meet them. Two teenage sisters, much older than their years, who unbeknownst to me had already saved the entire human race, continuing to fight evil wherever they could find it. I saw it in their eyes, Barry when I placed myself in their lives. I knew the path they would take, the path they were traveling down. Hiding behind smiles, their true faces were there. I should have helped them. Pulled them back or protected them from the worst they would see. Instead I did nothing. For four days I lay under that foul blood, holding her, wondering how it had come to this. There is nothing I can do now except try and fill her boots so she never is needed again. The guilt will stay with me though. My mother, Antiope, Steve, I had my adventures over the years but I mostly kept to myself, away from everything. They would not be happy if they knew. Perhaps they do, because they sometimes haunt my dreams as often as that little girl does now."

Diana picked up her sword and resumed sharpening it.

"Hey...I wasn't in there, was I?" Barry asked hesitantly.

The Amazon smiled at the question, amused a bit at his worry.

"You were definitely not there. Nor was Bruce or J'onn. They fought by her side. You fought when you received your powers. I am the one she hates. Perhaps the only one she hates more who is still alive is herself."

Barry shook his head. "You seriously think she hates you more than Samuel Lane?"

Diana shook her head. "I don't know, Barry. I didn't have time to look at all the bodies. There were hundreds. I realize the two of you cannot be together now. It is not because she does not love you, it is because she hates herself. It will get better. She will heal. Both those girls will, but it will take much time."

The Flash wished he had the confidence Diana had, in everything.

"How do you know?"

"She wears hope on her chest. If that isn't a sign, I can't imagine what else would be."

Four hours later, the League was back in the loading bay, a mile from their destination and a mile high.

"Bruce?" Diana asked.

"Energy signal is unknown still. There is no recent activity that would indicate a large ship landing or any large structure being built. Still nothing from the overheads but no energy signals indicating multiple power surges. There is power down below but no one and nothing appears to be using it. Their does not appear to be any harmful radiation signatures but that does to mean there is not, it could just be unknown. My suit and yours will protect us Barry, but out mouth and eye protection will need to be down."

Diana felt in her gut that there was no alien presence down below or anywhere near. So what was there? Something alien obviously.

"Bruce, take the jet, fly a circular pattern a half mile in diameter five hundred feet above and try to pinpoint the exact location and size of what we are dealing with. Barry follow him on the ground and then move closer to the target after every lap. Curry will approach from the west by Ground and I will approach from the east. Arthur if there appears to be a weapon..."

"I will liquify the ice and let it drop." he agreed. They had worked together enough now to know how she thought.

"Stewart, you and J'onn stay directly above it. If you come under any attack, we all converge without hesitation. J'onn alert us to any mental signatures. Bruce if you or Barry's suits pick up radiation, Stewart, you will have to cover the affected area in a dome. Let's move."

Five minutes later, Barry was in the center, J'onn and Stewart landing while Diana and Curry had sped their way over the harsh landscape.

"What the hell is this?" Barry asked. "Alfred are you getting this?"

The Flash and his teammates were looking at a small white sphere, similar in appearance to the bottom portion of a snowman. Had it not been for the soft glow emitted from inside it would have been disregarded.

"You're the scientist." Curry told Barry. "Figure it out. Hey Alfred, Flash team nerds, any ideas?"

"Not without examining it with various spectrometers." Batman told the group, silently gliding in with his cape. He detached a small meter from his belt and ran it over the device then touched it with his gloved hand.

"Not a crystal, not a metal. Perhaps a core of a comet? The energy it is emitting is steady though, no disruptions. To be this perfect and not have caused a crater when it landed, my bet is alien made. Its not Kryptonian but the concept could be the same from another planet. This could be anything, a prison, a bomb. To move it could be to set it off." Bruce told them.

"I'll place it in a construct and fly it where we need it. You want to take it to your blonde friend's Fortress?"

Bruce shook his head. "We are keeping her out of this life. I have figured out that involving Kelex and Alex is the same as involving Kara. Take it to S.T.A.R. Labs."

Barry was very surprised by this and a bit proud.

"You don't want to take to the Bat...I mean your cave...lair...headquarters?" The Flash asked.

"Brother Eye cost over $250 million to build and that was with me and Alfred doing all the work. I don't want it near Wayne Manor or the cave until I know it isn't a bomb." Bruce told him.

Barry hoped he was smiling under the mask that covered his whole face.

He had to be smiling, right?

 **Midvale**

Kara sat cross-legged at the edge of the cliff in front of her house, looking out over the ocean. Her eyes were closed and she was actually able to meditate, the ring not bothering her and the release of the past night, allowing her to clear her thoughts. One by one she sorted them and filed them away in the complex dungeon she called her mind.

Kara did not know how long she sat but Alex's heartbeat took her out of her trance. She was accustomed to her sister's heartbeat but this was different. She knew all of Alex's patterns and her heart was beating as if she were scared.

Turning quickly, she saw Alex was not running to Kara to warn her of an approaching enemy. Instead she was walking slowly and looked worried almost to the point of being sick.

"What is wrong?" Alex had appeared fine at their Six AM session.

"Shay is at Mom and Dad's. Mom went to pick up Clark from school. We all need to talk."

Kara nodded her head, wondering when Shay would finally break the news to her family that this ring was never coming off.

"Its okay, Alex. I have known since I returned to Earth. I know this ring is never coming off."

Alex shook her head and crossed her arms, eyes to the ground.

"That's not it... Mom didn't want to tell you, I'm not sure if we should, but we all agreed to no more secrets...Shay may have a way of getting it off of you." Alex admitted, shocking Kara.

"Then why do you look so worried? This is great!"

Alex met her sister's eyes and Kara was disturbed to see tears in them.

"I'm worried because there is high chance it will kill you, and you will want to do it anyway." Alex admitted.

Kara felt a shiver go through her body. This day she planned to spend in relaxation, just became much more complicated.

"How high a chance?"

"In scientific terms? Pretty damn high."


	39. Chapter 39

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Thought you readers could use a break from the angst so a slightly more fun chapter.

 **Chapter 39 Kara Meets Oliver...Again**

Kara and Alex walked into a very silent living room. Clark, having just been brought home quickly from school was obviously confused as to why he was there and why Shay Veritas was there as well.

Kara noted her parents looked upset, almost to the point of being sick. They were both pale and Jeremiah had a thin sheet of sweat covering his face despite the comfortable temperature of the house.

"Maybe we should go to the dining room." Kara suggested. "This doesn't look like a living room conversation."

No one said anything but they did move and gather in the dining room attached to the kitchen and sat at the large table, pulling up with Clark bringing what he referred to as Barry's chair from the corner and placing it at the table for Shay.

Since no one seemed to be inclined to talk immediately, Kara broke the ice.

"There is a way to get the ring off. Tell me." she ordered.

Jeremiah looked at his wife and cleared his throat. "Before we get into that I just want to say that we agreed to no secrets so that included telling you this. The decision is yours but you are not doing it. Is that clear?"

Eliza gently slapped his hand. "Stop."

The man was already upset enough, not having wanted to tell Kara because he did not consider this a viable option but Alex and Eliza insisted Kara know there was a small possibility and let her make the call, despite not wanting to tell her.

"Just tell me, Shay." Kara told her once again.

Shay looked around the table and lowered her head.

"The energy running through your system, it isn't just science...I think, as much as I hate to admit this as a scientist, that there..."

"Blood magic." Kara interrupted. "I know."

Shay nodded her head. This entire problem had frustrated her to no end. She was a scientist and believed in scientific solutions. This one had her beat.

"There is nothing I can do to remove that ring, have your blood return to its normal state and start your heart beating again."

Kara already knew this and wondered what the point of this conversation was. Instead of asking, she patiently waited.

Shay shook her head and got on with it.

"Gardner was right. With a bracelet on you constantly, your body cannot handle the power this ring is emitting. It will break you down eventually, so living with a device on full time is not an option. You wouldn't last more than three years in my opinion. Your strength under the yellow sun is the only reason you can handle it now. Gardner's human body can handle it but he is not emitting anywhere near the power you are."

Shay looked at the parents and Alex. None of them were looking at her but Clark was listening intently and staring directly at her, making her look away quickly.

"There is a technique that may work. It is the only way I can think of that has a chance at success. Before you had Kelex take the crystal out of your body you stabbed yourself to force him to. You should have bled out in seconds but he saved your life by filling the Fortress with solar rays. You healed very quickly, thanks to the solar radiation. The problem was, he got lucky, or you did. He used enough sunlight to heal you without killing you. From what I understand the Fortress was not set up with a strong enough amount of sunlight to overload your system...but the solar bed at the Block could be modified to give you an extreme dose of sunlight."

Kara was confused by this. She had never heard of too much sun being able to kill her.

"I don't understand. How could too much solar energy kill me when I feed off it for strength?"

"Your body began breaking down from drug and alcohol use. You are nearly indestructible but not completely. The distance from the sun is 95.5 million miles from the sun. This distance gives you incredible power. But just as a Red Ring can break your body down without your powers, too much solar radiation can increase your powers to the point your Kryptonian body could not handle it. Your body, your cells can only hold so much."

Kara understood. "So too much energy and I go supernova, big boom, that sort of thing?"

Shay shook her head. "Most likely you would just disintegrate, cells dying after being overcharged and simply burning away."

Kara silently encouraged her to go on.

"If we were to take the red ring off," Shay continued, "you would go into cardiac arrest. Your blood pressure would be gone. However, your brain and nervous system are not affected as much as your blood. This is why the head bands work on you. I believe that as long as your brain is alive, you can heal. If we removed the ring, we would have to douse your body in an incredible amount of sunlight so healing can begin immediately. Too much solar radiation and you disintegrate. Not enough and you die in seconds. Autopsy reports on Kryptonians killed years ago by you and the DEO have indicated that they could live no matter what, as long as their nervous system was not compromised but no one has ever studied a Kryptonian with complete loss of blood and massive cardiac failure. Add in the acidity of the blood from the ring and there is a strong likelihood that if we do not get the right amount of energy, you would die before you have a chance to heal."

Kara sat back and looked at the ceiling, avoiding seeing the expressions on her families' faces.

This was bad.

It was also her only chance?

"The solar bands on my suit healed me nearly instantly during the fight with Doomsday." the blonde pointed out.

"I saw the readings Kelex took during that fight. The solar bands healed broken bones and stopped some internal bleeding but without surgery you would have still died after the fight was over without a large dose of sunlight. It gave you enough to keep going but this is different. The trauma to your body would be immediate, possibly catastrophic. The only way this could work is to monitor your solar absorption rates, test it daily and increase it, until we hit the maximum amount you can take without burning up. It will take days, weeks, maybe a month, of you being in the Block, being studied in a controlled environment. Even then, we will have to hope that the amount of solar energy can heal you instantly. If it doesn't, you will die. Without blood or the energy that is running through you, brain death will occur. We are lucky your brain hasn't been taken over by the energy as well but I suppose that is where the...blood magic part of this comes into play. Somehow you get oxygen to your brain through that substance running through your veins, allowing Alex to manipulate your brain waves. As I told your parents, this is the only technique I can theorize that will give you a chance to live without the ring."

"By killing her! Killing her and hoping we don't burn her up or instantly killing her from complete blood loss!" Jeremiah shouted, making Shay flinch. "Kara, I told you we would find a way to safely get this ring off of you and we will..."

"You won't." Kara cut him off. "I know it, we all know it. This thing is not going to come off without something extreme happening."

"Then it stays on and you keep your cool." Clark told her, not liking what he had understood of this conversation at all.

Kara shook her head. "It's not that simple."

No one said a word for a few moments.

"How do we even get the ring off?" Kara finally asked. "I can't just pull it off."

"No," Shay agreed, "you can't, but there is something that can. Something that was used to kill the one who started this in Mexico. If you ask her, I am sure she can split the ring and survive long enough to get out of the room before the solar radiation gives her third degree burns or worse. It would be a risk for her as well, but we can minimize it. If she would allow us to use her ... magic sword, we also could put it on a robotic arm and operate it remotely."

Kara looked around the table, all eyes on her now, making her a bit uncomfortable.

"What are the odds of this working?"

Shay schooled her face, not wanting her reaction to influence Kara either way.

"Not good. We would have to find the correct dosage of sunlight without burning you up and then hope that it works. The line will be extremely thin but it is our only option, at least the only theory I can come up with and from what I understand, the only theory so far that has a chance of succeeding. I cannot tell you that you will live through it. All I can say is this, in my opinion, is your only chance to live without the ring. The decision is yours and your families. We will keep looking into different methods but I doubt there is any safe way for the rings to come off and as far as the other Reds there is no way short of death that can take those rings off."

No one said anything for a minute or so while Kara took in what Shay was telling her. There was a chance, but the only chance she had would most likely kill her.

Too much solar radiation would kill her. Living with the ring and a red sun device of some sort would kill her. How long till she wouldn't have the option to use it even occasionally?

But she could fight the ring for years, keep her powers, fight the bloodlust and be there for her family.

Until they died, of disease, accident, any number of ways humans could die.

If she kept her powers and the ring she would live forever as a monster, an overpowered monster that would constantly feel the need to travel to Oa and burn the place to the ground. Of course if her family was gone she could always cut the ring off and go with them.

"I need time to think." Kara told her.

"Diana would never do it." Eliza told her quickly.

Kara shook her head. It didn't matter. "If we use a robotic arm, I have a friend who owes me a favor. I believe Batman used her katana to kill two Red Lanterns in Mexico. It's called the Soultaker. It can cut through anything. It is infused with blood magic as well. I can't decide right now. I need to think, and we all need to talk about this. Thank you for your work, Shay. We will get back to you this afternoon, no longer."

Shay stood and walked out, not wanting to stay for the conversation and argument that would follow.

"Kara..."

"Please Dad." Kara stopped him. "Let me think for a while, digest this and we can all talk. I need some time to think about everything, okay?"

The man looked ready to argue but conceded, happy that she wasn't jumping at a chance that would, in his opinion lead to certain death.

The family sat silently in the living room for a few moments.

"Kara, please? Clark finally asked quietly.

"Please what?" the blonde asked curiously.

Clark rolled his eyes. "Please don't do this."

The girl laughed, surprising them all. "I'm not going to do that. I ran the numbers in my head and the chances she could pull this off is less than 2 percent. Maybe its the bands working but I am not suicidal. If she thinks the odds are over 10% she overestimates herself. Plus I can't spend weeks in the Block when my little brother is the best baseball player in North Carolina. But it has given me something to think about. We have been going at this all wrong."

Kara closed her eyes and leaned her head back in her, deep in thought. After a few minutes she opened them and was surprised to see her family still staring at her, looking a bit shocked.

"What?" she asked.

Jeremiah cleared his throat. "Uh...you are serious? You won't do this? Really? Because this is exactly the kind of reckless thing you would jump on in the past. I'm about to throw Alex a party, if those bands are working this well."

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "We probably should throw her a party seeing as how we missed our birthdays while she was waiting for me to emerge from a lake of blood on another planet. Maybe we can celebrate with Clark this year. I've done a lot of thinking lately. I hate living with this ring and it is hard to control, but I have always had a hard time controlling myself. I have never needed a ring to lose my temper. Besides, people have to live everyday with prosthetics, in wheelchairs, or completely paralyzed and bed ridden. Being stuck with an ugly red ring on my finger isn't the worst thing that could happen to someone. Leslie and I have been talking about this a lot. I think..."

Before Kara could finish the sentence, Clark and Alex had thrown themselves at her, wrapping her up.

The girl laughed and gently squirmed from them.

"Look, Shay did have one thing right. Magic. We have been going at this all wrong. We have been trying to find a way to turn my blood back into...blood and remove this ring. We haven't thought about the simple fact that it shouldn't be possible for blood to turn into energy in the first place, not from a physical stand point. I saw everything. I know how these rings were made. Atrocitus wasn't in a lab mixing chemicals and then decided to forge a ring. He used blood magic by murdering his friends to form a battery and then the rings emerged from it and were drawn to the angriest beings in the universe, somehow knowing how to find them. I remember the ring talking to me now. Before I put it on, it talked to me. It is sentient. I share the other Red Lanterns memories. I feel their anger. We can talk to each other in our own languages and understand. We can change our clothes into whatever it is we wear in an instant, making portals just by thinking of where we want to be. I can somehow vomit fire. These aren't physical properties, they are metaphysical."

Eliza and Jeremiah glanced at each other and held hands, not sure if this was a good place Kara was going towards or a bad place. They could only wait and see.

"What are you thinking of?" Alex asked, hesitantly.

Kara wasn't sure herself, an idea still forming in her head.

"The blue rings could remove the red rings. But the Blues are all dead and there are no blue rings but they were magic. Damian Darhk had magic. Lobo and Nyssa suspected magic would work on me. I suspect Diana's sword could have cut me even at my full strength. We know magic exists. I know it exists because I have seen it in the Lazarus Pit. I killed a man who did not age. We need to find our own magician, someone powerful, who can counter the blood magic. I know someone who can. Or at least I know someone who knows someone who can."

"Who?" Jeremiah asked, still not sure he liked where this was going. He seriously missed the days his daughters' worst acts of rebellion were sneaking out to Raleigh after hours. "Bruce?"

Kara was silent for a moment, obviously thinking of a plan. This could be bad because she could usually think of a plan in a split second.

"I can't find Nyssa." she finally blurted out. "Or at least Kelex can't. She went to restore Sara Lance's soul and free Laurel Lance. Kelex picked up Sara Lance with Oliver Queen four days ago in Star City. Laurel is nowhere to be found and neither is Nyssa. I suspect she figured out a way to restore Sara's soul after she emerged from the Lazarus Pit. I also suspect in exchange for this information and most likely Sara, Laurel and Nyssa stayed as part of a deal with Talia. Bruce cannot be involved. I can't find where the League of Shadows is hiding. Nyssa never told me and I didn't ask. Regardless, if Sara isn't a blood thirsty monster but hanging out with Oliver Queen, someone must have helped them. If I can find this person, he or she may be able to help us. I just have to ask Sara. She will want her sister and Nyssa back. I want the information on who helped her and I want Nyssa free. I will free both of them and she and Queen will tell me."

Eliza rubbed her forehead and leaned back. "Kara, if you ever get involved with a League of any type of ninjas again, shadows, assassins, whatever else kind there are, you are moving into your old room and living there until you are 90. Do you understand me?"

"Yes ma'am." Kara told her quickly. "I am honor bound by Nyssa's agreement after she disbanded the League not to attack the League of Shadows. I will just reason with Talia."

Jeremiah snorted. "Your method of reasoning usually ends up with someone's head through a wall. Add in the recent temper problems and..."

He stopped speaking when Eliza kicked him.

"Alex will go with me. It will be fine. I won't kill anyone, I swear. I'm not saying whoever this magician is can help but it is a chance I am willing to take. The whole thing will take a day, I promise. 24 hours and we will be right back. Alex can take my bands and I won't miss any sessions."

The parents looked at each other for a moment, not sure what to say. The whole thing sounded just like something that would set Kara off and send her on a mass murder spree.

Clark decided for them. "C'mon Mom and Dad, this isn't the stupidest thing she has ever come up with. If it works, it works and if it doesn't maybe whoever this is can pull off a magic show at this party I am forced to share with the two dorks."

The parents looked at each other and silently agreed to go along, thinking this could work but could go wrong and send their daughter's soul to some sort of hell. They would have to watch carefully.

Kara recognized the look on their faces and smiled. It was a ridiculous plan but at least if Nyssa was being held against her will, she could get her back.

With quick hugs and assurances they would return in 24 hours, the two girls rushed to their home, Kara making it there much quicker than Alex. Alex met her in the basement where Kara tossed her the suit Alex had worn many times.

"Grab a bag, arm up and bring the Peacemaker. Leave the staff here. Things might get bloody so guns and blades only."

Alex was surprised by that. "You said you were honor bound not to attack the League."

"I am, but you aren't. If they try and stop us, take them out. Incinerate them."

"And Talia?" Alex asked.

"Don't kill her. Bruce may not love her but they have a history. I will deal with Talia."

Alex grinned and began packing the big overnight bag, including Kara's crystal headbands. After she was done, she grabbed Kara and hugged her. "Thanks, for not going along with Shay's idiotic plan."

Kara held her tightly. "I promised you when I was 14 that I wouldn't leave you. I tried to break that promise. I never want to break a promise to you again. This probably won't work, but at least I can get Nyssa back and maybe this magician could pull it off? Anything is possible. What do we have to lose, right? We haven't done anything fun together in a while."

Ten minutes later, Alex was suited up in her copper and silver armored suit, bag ready to go.

Kara lit up in red, decked out in black with the red cape and boots. Alex suspected if Oliver Queen was afraid of her before, he was really going to love her now.

"So since you refuse to rebuild my baby, how do we get there. Flying in your arms?" the older sister asked, not excited at the prospect since she had her jet built.

Kara smirked. "Dad impetuously jumped behind me in S.T.A.R. Labs, but at least we know you can follow me. We are taking the Red Lantern express route."

Kara thought of where she wanted to go, this time on Earth and opened up a swirling ring of red. Alex and she stepped through it into the lair of the Green Arrow.

The looks on the gather Team Arrow were comical. They obviously weren't expecting visitors. Oliver and his short sidekick had their bows ready and Sara her staff, along with Diggle, holding an M-16.

"You act like you aren't glad to see me, Oliver." Kara told him, smiling. They were all in plain clothes and she had caught them by surprise. That was good. Kara liked to keep people on the defensive.

"Kar Zor El." he greeted her, dropping his bow. "And here I thought you were retired."

Kara shook her head and approached him. "I am retired, not dead. We need to talk. Actually I need to talk to Sara if you wouldn't mind. I am guessing since she is here and Nyssa and Laurel aren't, the two of them are still in the company of Talia?"

Oliver looked at her closely and was very concerned by what he saw. The last time Kara was in his lair, she had looked insane. Now she was just frightening. He almost would have preferred insane. She was dark and there was sparks of red flashing in her blue eyes. He also noticed she had a ring on her right finger, a red ring that was glowing.

"Nice ring." he told her, ignoring her question.

"Its a mood ring. It only picks up one mood though. Care to guess what that is?" the grinning blonde asked. Alex lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Information, remember? Cooperation, being nice?"

Kara shook her head. "I didn't come here to fight...I mean not that you can fight me. I didn't come here to break your other leg is what I am trying to say. I plan to get Nyssa free. You no doubt want Laurel free. I need the name of someone you and Sara know. I need this person's services. Sara Lance, since you aren't snarling and drooling, I assume you regained your soul. Tell me how and I will get your sister back."

Sara walked away from Kara and leaned against a console, crossing her arms. "I can't get her back. My body had to go back into the Lazarus Pit for the man to bring my soul back. The only way Talia would allow it was to procure oaths from Laurel and Nyssa that they would serve her. I was sent away after I awoke. I was weak and had to get the man who rescued me out of there. His name is John Constantine. We were surrounded by over 150 members of the League. I couldn't fight them all. Oliver and I have been trying to figure out a way to take them back but Nyssa would not come regardless. If you know her enough to go looking for her, then you know oaths are binding to her."

"Unless, the oath is released. I am also honor bound not to attack the League of Shadows but I will get Talia to release the oath. Sadly to do this, most of the members will need to die. My sister will handle the majority of them but she could use some aid. If you are willing, we will get them back, released from their oaths and Talia Al Ghul will never be a problem again, for any of us. That is my bargain. I get your sister released from her oath and safely to you and you tell me how to contact John Constantine and persuade him to assist me."

"I don't need them along." Alex argued.

"We can never have too much help. Nyssa has told me what kind of warrior Sara is. Robin Hood and Little John are decent with a bow and it doesn't take much for John Diggle to pull a trigger. I am not sure if the compound is protected against my portals or what effect the Lazarus Pit will have on me if my portal doesn't work. That means we go through the front door."

Alex frowned at this thought. "This would be a lot easier if I had a jet. Just saying."

"You would still have a jet if you backed off when I told you too." Kara countered.

"And you would be dead! That's what is really bugging you, isn't it? You are mad I got shot down? I'm not crazy that you were nearly beaten to death but here I am. How do you think Mom and Dad reacted when I told them about your little killing spree on Mars? I am the one who had to calm them down before they ever talked to you. Yes, the unstoppable monster got a lucky shot in but the ejection pod worked out. Maybe if you hadn't taken so many shots to the face, you would have seen me, instead of deciding you were going to fight this thing until he killed you! Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Why don't you ever listen to me in a fight?!"

"Because as strategic as you are, when you fight a strong enemy you get a little..."

Alex hesitated.

"What? What do I get Alex?"

"You get stupid! There were other ways to fight that thing instead of going toe to toe with it. You could have ducked, led it away, taken it to the water."

"And let it cause a bigger path of destruction? Metropolis couldn't evacuate! I had to hold it in one place!"

"By letting it beat you to death! We could have..."

The argument stopped when John Diggle cleared his throat, causing both girls to remember where they were and who they were with.

"As fascinating as this conversation is, and believe me, it is fascinating, you were saying something about a plan?"

"We are talking this out at the next family session." she told her little sister.

Kara turned away annoyed, knowing Jessica always took Alex's side, no matter what.

"Yes. A plan. I have a plan. You will strike them all down and I will reason with Talia...on another planet. As I said I am honor bound not to kill her but if she ever expects to come back to Earth, she will do as I say. So why don't you all suit up...wait, you do all have suits right? Are these nonflammable?" Kara asked, trying to keep a straight face. Oliver's irritated look was all the answer she needed.

While Oliver and company changed clothes and loaded up, Kara was instructed by Alex to sit down in a chair in the back of the lair. Felicity Smoak walked in and froze, stiff as a board, staring at the two women.

"Relax, not here to kill you." Kara told her offhandedly and the woman practically ran to Oliver.

A moment later, Oliver cautiously walked up to the two, the brunette looking at her cell phone while Kara sat next to her with a glowing tiara on her head.

"Uh...we are ready."

"Give us a minute. These bands make it easier for her not to kill you. We both want that, right?" Alex asked, while Kara snorted.

Oliver agreed. "Take all the time you need."

Alex held in a laugh. Despite what Kara did to him last time, Oliver Queen was cautious but she didn't sense any fear. He was too stupid to be afraid like her sister could be at times. Ironically, Alex suspected Kara and him could be good friends but were most likely too similar to ever get along for any length of time. This short team up was probably pushing it.

"Do you guys have infrared?"

Oliver shook his head. "Just Dig."

"We are going to fight ninjas in the dark. They may hide in the shadows but they can't hide their body heat. I have a sonar in my headgear that can pick up heartbeats but I can't fashion one for your ... hood. There are infrared goggles in the bag. Give them to your team. Don't touch my guns and the one that looks like a grenade? Definitely don't touch that one. It can turn a White Martian to goo."

Oliver had seen those Martians on TV. "Noted."

Walking to the bag, he was approached by Sara, Roy and Diggle.

Diggle leaned down next to him. "Are you sure we can trust this crazy bitch?" he whispered.

"We haven't had a feasible plan to get Laurel out of that place since we found out what happened. She is motivated to get Nyssa out. Of course I don't trust her. She is obviously insane but her sister seems to be some sort of handler and can probably keep her calm. I think she is brainwashing her now..."

"I can hear you, you know? I'm right here. I can hear for hundreds of miles, remember? If you are going to talk about me at least use sign language and I will close my eyes. Also I would like to point out that you were a rich spoiled brat and after only five years of being stranded you came back to civilization and began a murder spree. Be careful who you call insane, asshole."

Sara smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I kind of like her."

"You would." Roy mumbled.

The unlikely team gathered and Kara raised her right arm, thinking of Talia Al Ghul and desiring to be outside her compound.

A red portal lit up the Lair.

"Uh..."

"Don't lose your pair now, Queen. Follow us." Alex told him, a bit amused.

They all stepped out into frozen ground, a very tall cliff inf front of them. Only Kara saw the door at the bottom of the cliff.

"Straight ahead, carved into the rock."

"I see, four guards on top of the cliff." Alex confirmed and raised her rifle. Four beams of light were fired in quick succession. Four screaming voices were heard, then nothing.

"Haven't lost it." the older sister said, satisfied.

Kara on the other hand, was not impressed. "They are still alive. Did you join the Peace Corp or something while I was in rehab? Since when do we set to stun?"

Oliver and Dig looked at each other. She really had gone to rehab? Oliver had been skeptical of her statement on the News, but apparently that wasn't the case. He also figured out from the argument with her sister, that she had sustained grave injuries from the Metropolis fight and suspected that ring and the need to find John Constantine had something to do with it.

For the first time, he was beginning to see her in a different light.

Of course she was still a godlike insane powerhouse but perhaps there was more to her than the act she had formerly put on for the public that hid her insanity. The man never could deny the lives she saved.

"You said some of your old friends might have joined the League of Shadows after Nyssa's League dissolved. Do you really want them dead for standing at guard duty? We are after Talia. If we just kill bodyguards and leave her alive we are no better than the Hood...no offense Oliver." Alex lied. She was actually beginning to have fun, enjoying their reactions to her baby sister.

The very large door that had been hidden in the cliff opened and multiple men in black ran out. Had it not been for the infrared goggles Alex had given the team, they wouldn't have been able to tell how many.

"Don't shoot. Alex has a point. Let me thin the herd a bit. Stand back and turn off the infrared for a second." Kara ordered. She flew towards the men, then hovered over them twenty feet above the ground, red light bursting from her and surrounding her body, making her larger than life, like a great red monster that had appeared from Hell.

Every member of the League of Shadows stopped and stared at her.

"Some of you know who I am. I am Al Malek. Some of you served under me in the League of Assassins. I have no wish to harm you. I have come to reclaim Nyssa Al Ghul. After tonight there will no longer be a League of Shadows. Talia has overreached and brought down my wrath. Leave now and you may live. Stay and you will die. You have five seconds to make your decision. Any one need me to repeat this in another language?"

Apparently, no one did. Almost everyone outside ran off into the cold, and kept running, away from the firebird in the sky who had been known as the Angel of Death while in the League. Even those who did not serve under her but had been with Talia for years ran.

Only ten loyal followers remained.

Kara floated back to Alex, her red aura lessening.

"There, happy? Everybody is alive. Wait until I tell Connolly about this."

An arrow was shot towards Kara who caught it with ease, her eyes lighting up and a smile on her face.

Alex placed a hand on her shoulder. "You promised, no killing tonight."

"Then what are you waiting for? We have a castle to raid."

Alex began firing, followed by Team Arrow. Those few remaining were made quick work of.

Oliver looked at Kara when she slowly walked up to join them.

"So I see you have learned some new tricks." he told her quietly.

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "You know us insane Goddesses, always looking for new ways to take over the world. Using the eyes all the time gets tiresome. Shall we?"

The six made their way slowly into the compound. Kara took a look around with her X ray vision.

"Cheap bobby traps on the stairs in front of us. A dungeon is below with Laurel in a cell, twenty members have assembled inside, no doubt guessing she is our objective and preparing an ambush. Stun grenade, Alex?"

"Let me do my job and you do yours. Go get Talia. We can get Lauren."

"Laurel." Sara corrected.

Kara and Alex rolled their eyes, as usual having the same facial expressions like they were twins.

"Talia has ten guards with her. I can't attack any of them and I don't want Nyssa harmed in the crossfire. Why don't you come with me, take out the guards so she isn't hurt and I will have a talk with Talia. Give Queen a stun grenade and a breach explosive. His exploding arrow isn't thick enough for the bolt on that door."

After quick instructions on how the explosives worked, Alex and Kara parted ways from them. Kara walked first, setting off the boobytraps, slightly annoyed by the hundreds of poison darts that simply burned up on contact with the invisible shield around her. Sometimes being too powerful made life too easy.

Kara knocked on the door to Talia's throne room where her Lazarus Pit resided. Her second knock sent the thick door flying down and Alex ran in, guns in hand and firing.

Kara didn't watch her, knowing these people were child's play for her sister who was trained to fight the deadliest aliens in the universe. Instead she walked up to Talia, not making eye contact with Nyssa. Talia was furious and stood up, only slightly taken back by Kara's new outfit.

"You are breaking your oath! You cannot attack me!"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't attacked one of your soldiers. My partner is kind of a wild card. We need to talk."

The girl opened up a red portal behind Talia, grabbed her arm and dragged the woman through it.

Talia found herself in a barren wasteland, nothing but grey rocks and sand, dark, barely lit by the sun. She noticed some sort of moving fauna, black in color and hard to see but appeared to be spongy.

"Welcome to Craddock. Its a moon in the Andera sector. You will get used to the atmosphere in a second. There is water here of course, and the sponges growing from the rock are edible. Just make sure they are dead first. You can use some of the rocks to kill them. The gravity is similar to Earth's. Speaking of Earth we are about 14 thousand light years away. Not much chance of getting home. The sponges and a few different species of fish reside in the ponds about a mile form here. The moon isn't much larger than the Earth's moon but it is such a dump, no one comes here. This is actually my first trip. My friend Lobo had to land here to make repairs to his ship once. The nearest sentient creatures are over there." Kara told her, pointing to a bright star in the sky.

"It is cold as hell as you can tell but the moon has a molten core so you won't freeze to death. Just find a nice dry spot and sleep on the ground and you will be fine. Oh yeah, if you see any ships from the planet I just showed you, hide. Those guys will eat any biological entity they can find."

Talia had been furious when she realized Nyssa's general was the one to attack her.

Now she was scared.

"You can't do this. You are honor bound..."

"To not attack you." Kara told her, holding in a smile. "I haven't attacked you. I am not killing you. I'm just not taking you back. Funny thing about oaths. You have to read the fine print. Enjoy your new home."

Kara took to the sky, only stopping when she heard Talia yell for her to stop. She floated back down slowly.

"I do have to sleep tonight." she told the woman.

"What do you want?" Talia asked.

"A lot. Release of all oaths, dissolution of the League, Destroy the Lazarus Pit, oaths against any form of vengeance, that sort of thing. You played with the wrong woman, Talia. Your father thought he was invincible until he met me. He didn't die like a coward though. You are nothing but a coward, manipulating others to get what you want, staying in your cave..."

"Laurel Lance came to me! She made the decision to bring Sara back from the dead. I let her."

'Knowing Sara would be a monster and have to come back to you! Knowing Nyssa would follow! You played your game but its over now. Look around you, Talia. I would love nothing more than to leave you here. Its the type of hell people like us belong in! I don't use others to get what I want though! When I fight my battles they are my battles! Do you know what this is?" Kara asked, putting her glowing ring inches from Talia's face.

"Blood magic." the woman whispered.

"Its a weapon and a part of me now. I am the most powerful person in the Universe. All I want is for me, my family and my friends to be left alone. You brought me here. You brought hell on yourself! So did your father, so did Malcolm Merlyn! I am justice, I am revenge, I am reckoning! You? You are nothing but an old woman who has lived too long. Will you do as I want? I can bring you back here or someplace worse at any time. Your decision."

Talia looked around, beginning to shake. Would this woman actually leave her here?

Yes, she would. She had never met Kara Zor El personally and only knew what former League of Assassin members had told her. She was ruthless, but caring, cold but warm. She was invincible, a goddess on Earth.

And she would leave Talia on this rock.

"I will agree to whatever you ask."

Kara took a breath, wishing she hadn't. The air here truly was foul.

"I knew you were reasonable woman. A woman after your father's own heart, I mean what was left of it after I hit him. Your pathetic life is everything to you."

A red circle appeared and in a split second, Talia found herself back in her lair. Kara noted the guards were all bound but alive.

"What the hell?!" Kara asked, looking at Alex and Nyssa.

"I'm trying to set an example of self-control." the older sister told her.

Kara shook her head and walked to a shelf on the far side of the Lazarus Pit, finding parchment and ink. She handed it to Talia and began instructing her what to write.

After it was done and Talia had signed the document, Kara examined it closely then walked to a wall safe behind the throne. Ripping it open she took a bag of black powder and dumped it into the Lazarus Pit.

Talia screamed despite knowing what was going to happen.

"If you are worried about crow's feet, I can recommend a great spa." Kara offered. "Only one thing left to do and you will never have to see me again. Alex, you have Peacemaker?"

Her sister walked behind Talia and grabbed her, pressing a small syringe to her neck. A hiss and Talia jerked, blinding pain striking her and doubling her over.

"What did you do?" she hissed, finally able to stand straight after a couple minutes.

"We put a small bomb and GPS tracking device in your neck. I have a very powerful A.I." Kara explained. "He will keep track of you at all times, your locations, your conversations. If you ever approach anyone I love, he will detonate it. Your death will be quick and painless. If anyone attempts to detach it from your Cervical Spine, it will detonate. Your texts will be monitored constantly, your computers, your bank accounts. There is nothing you can hide from me Talia. You belong to me. If you abide by our agreement, you will live out the remainder of your life peacefully. If you don't then you die. No matter where you are in the world, even under it, that signal will not be interrupted. I'm an alien. I have tech you couldn't dream of. I think we are done here. I will leave it to you to inform what is left of your League that it is over. If you don't, I will know."

The three walked out of the room, leaving Talia on her knees crying.

They met Team Arrow outside, a crying Laurel holding onto Sara.

"Thank you." Sara whispered, her eyes glistening.

"Sisters should never be kept apart." Kara told her, took Alex's hand and opened a portal back into the lair.

While Alex packed her weapons in the bag, Kara moved towards Oliver.

"Constantine?"

"Where do you want to meet him?" Queen asked. "He is in England now."

"Call him and ask where the best place to perform blood magic is. I have a totem I desperately want removed that was made by blood magic. I will go wherever he wants me to be."

The man took her in and for the first time that night, saw a hint of sadness and longing. For the first time ever, he wondered what life had done to her and realized she had not always been like this. He hadn't always been what he was either. Taking out a piece of paper from the desk, he wrote an address and phone number on it.

"I will let him know you are going to call. Good luck, Kara."

"You too. By the way, if you need help with that throwing star killer, go the top of Gotham City's police headquarters and turn on the spotlight then wait. He can take care of it." she told him with a wink.

The blonde approached Nyssa and the two hugged.

"It took you long enough." the woman playfully complained.

"I've had a lot going on. Try to stay out of trouble. You want a ride somewhere?"

Nyssa shook her head. "One trip into a cloud of red energy is enough for the night. I will call you tomorrow. Perhaps we can talk about the changes in you, that strange ring on your finger and why you need a Shaman?"

Kara nodded. "That's probably a conversation that needs to happen in person. I'll call you and you can come by. First, I need to get it off. I will be okay. I always am. Be careful, please?"

Nyssa assured her she would be.

Alex and Kara walked out of the Lair and in seconds were in front of their house.

"So, that was...fun I guess. It wasn't an unstoppable killing machine or a horde of White Martians, or a pack of Green Lanterns but it was a nice night on the town." Alex told her.

Kara playfully punched her on the shoulder.

"We saved Nyssa, reunited two sisters, neutralize Talia without killing her and I didn't kill Oliver Queen or anyone else. I guess it was pretty fun."

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" the older sister asked. Kara thought about it for a moment.

"I suppose I am going to set up an appointment with this John Constantine guy and then...I really liked the way Clark looked on that pitcher's mound. I think I am going to take one of Mom's photos and put it on canvas."

Alex smiled warmly.

"You haven't painted in a long time."

"Yeah," Kara agreed, "probably time I started again. We are going to get this ring off, Alex. One way or another, I will get it off. I won't accept it. But until then, I am going to control it, control myself. I have to."

Alex ruffled her hair. "Yes, we will. For now I think we should probably feed Streaky and go to sleep. You have a portrait to paint tomorrow and need to start building my new hover jet in secret."

"Yeah, not gonna happen."

 **S.T.A.R. Labs**

Bruce found Barry in a barely lit, unused room at the back of the lab. Not sure what to say but knowing he needed to pull the Flash out of his funk, he decided to give it a shot. Diana hadn't had any luck and he doubted he would either but the man looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

Mulling over words of wisdom that Alfred had given him over the years, he mentally prepared his speech.

"Barry, you have got to get it together. You need to sleep and losing it over a girl who dumped you is doing no one any good."

Bruce almost patted him on the back but couldn't remember if that was part of the plan. Alfred patted people on the back when he cared, right? Of course the speech had sounded more poetic in his head. "Why don't we go to the metagene dampening room and spar? Sometimes getting the hell beat out of you is just the thing a guy needs to wake up.

Barry took in the man, decked out in a designer suit, and he appeared quite serious.

"Not really in the mood to get my ass kicked right now, but thanks for the offer."

Bruce shook his head, out of ideas. After he and Selena had parted ways for the 22nd or 23rd time since he had been 15, a fight with Bane had taken his mind off the continual heartache she had caused.

"You have to get over her, Barry." he offered as a second piece of advice.

Barry frowned, annoyed that this conversation was even taking place. One of the many things he liked about Bruce Wayne outside of the Batman persona was his unwillingness to delve into someone's personal life. "How Bruce? I have loved her from the moment I saw her. I shared things with her I have never shared with anyone else. Now I can't even talk to her. I watch her from a distance and run cross country just to see a Little League baseball game, using Clark as an excuse and hoping she will apologize and ask me back. Instead I get treated like a guy she used to know."

Batman looked at this situation as strategically as possible, analyzed what Barry was saying and offered his opinion.

"That was dumb."

The Flash finally spared Bruce a look in his eyes and was surprised to see disappointment in them.

"Dumb? I wanted to see her."

"It was dumb expecting Kara to apologize. She only apologizes to a few people. She destroyed the Batmobile once because I refused to kill the Joker...again. She never apologized but she did fix it, even added a few more toys. That's the way she apologizes. She talked to you and that is as close to an apology as Kara is ever going to get. She will never apologize for what she said here unless she didn't mean it. I don't agree with her assessment of your skills but it was what she believed. If you want to prove her wrong, then get some sleep and keep working, keep getting better. Show her the world doesn't need Supergirl because it has the Flash."

Barry thought of this, wondering if he could be right. Was it that simple? Just ignore her, wait for her? But she wasn't waiting. Not according to Clark.

"Have you ever played Halo...never mind. Clark and I play sometimes when his parents are asleep and he told me she had a sort of...date. She took Curry to the Fortress so the two could swim in the ocean. He thinks they were on a date but I think we both know better."

At that moment, Bruce wanted to destroy the Batmobile. Kara had pulled some self-destructive acts in the past, a lot of them involving sex with a guy she felt nothing for one of them. Curry? Damn it! The team had beginning to mold, even Stewart had begun to be accepted by almost everyone but him. Now this.

"Did you...did you ask him about it?" he asked cautiously.

Barry shook his head. "I really don't have a right, do I? She isn't my girlfriend."

"That's true," Bruce mumbled before he realized from the look on Barry's face that he had said it out loud. The man looked sheepish. "Sorry, not great at this stuff. Why don't you try dating? Selena and I parted ways when I we were 15, She went off to become a world famous criminal and I...I went in search of the League of Shadows. Talia and I became...close as I got older. It had to end, but it did take my mind off Selena, for a while."

"So sleep with an assassin? Because the only one I know is Kara's best friend and she is gay. That's kind of off limits, in so many ways."

Bruce crossed his arms and began walking around the room, deep in thought as he would be when a problem presented itself and he needed a solution quick. Perhaps calling Alfred to take up this conversation could help? Calling Diana for backup? Curry for a joke...no, best to leave Curry out of this.

"Date someone. Meet someone, anyone you might like and give it a shot. Not to make her jealous but to see who else may be out there. She isn't watching anyway. Live life, Barry, while she is trying to figure out hers. I know you have been watching from a distance for years, and quite frankly, almost became obsessed with her. I know another guy that became obsessed with her and she played him, used him and never even tried to hide it. Find someone and just give it a shot. It wouldn't kill you, would it?"

Barry thought about it, the idea of dating, having fun with a woman who wasn't Kara seemed wrong, unnatural. It was true he may have developed a fascination, not an obsession, over the years they had been apart. But once they were together, she had become such a huge part of his life. Now she was stepping away from that and his persistence was not paying off. Perhaps Wayne was right? It wouldn't kill him and he doubted she would care any longer. He hadn't spoken to Patty in a while. A waitress at Jitters had slipped him her number last week.

It was possible.

It also still didn't feel right.

"If you want to sleep ever again, you are going to have to do something. Either Caitlin needs to develop something to help you sleep, you need to fight a much larger and dangerous opponent, someone who is not Curry and let out your frustrations or try dating. Either way you are no good to the team in the state you are in, not this team, not the Justice League and you certainly aren't good for Central City. That's it, that's all I got. My relationship history is limited to a cat burglar and an assassin. Figure it out but get it together quickly. We have an unknown alien object that landed softly in Greenland and announced its presence. I can't tell you why it is here but it can't be anything good..."

Bruce's speech was cut off by Lobo entering the room.

"It isn't good. Its a spy probe. Your underground hideout is probably safe as well as the Fortress, but this thing is sending every bit of information S.T.A.R. Labs has on all of you, especially video of your fights. I need to take it into space and destroy it as soon as possible. Stewart and I will both try and figure out the planet of origin. There are only three worlds that use this particular type of sphere and none of them have any reason to study Earth. Stewart is waiting on us."

Bruce walked out quickly, leaving Barry and Lobo alone.

"So," Lobo began. "what I got from that is Kara is single now?"

Barry walked out of the room past the Czarnian.

"Shut up, Lobo."


	40. Chapter 40

Do not own DC or CW characters

 **Chapter 40 - Into the Ring**

Jeremiah answered the knock on the door hesitantly. The man was a scientist and this idea Kara had, while it made some sense, did not sit well with him. Magic, something he could not control or understand was going to be used on his Kara. Jeremiah was extremely cautious in everything he put his children through. Luckily Clark had never been sick since he was 4. Even then it had been a mild cold that kept Kara by his side without sleep for a few days. He had gone over and over the readings from the crystal headbands Alex had designed for Kara and probably still would have taken months to try them if Kara had not accidentally placed one on her head. He had only given the Kryptonite immunity booster and cure to her when her life was in danger and had gone as far as planning live trials on any Kryptonian prisoners that could be caught before ever administering it to her.

Now, he had to rely on some guy he didn't know to save his daughter from a sentient ring powered by something called blood magic.

Opening the door, he had expected to find a man in robes with a wizard's cap on.

Instead he saw a blonde middle aged man in a crumpled suit and loose black tie, wearing a tan overcoat. He hadn't appeared to have shaved in a week and was possibly intoxicated. Jeremiah couldn't tell if there was a scent of alcohol due to the overwhelming odor of cigarettes.

"Hello, you must be the disapproving father. Relax, I will have her home by breakfast."

Jeremiah stared at him, not moving from the doorway.

"Not one for jokes then. I understand Supergirl lives here? I don't suppose she is wearing the outfit...probably not my business. I guess I will find out in a bit. Mind if I come in? This would be awkward to perform on the front porch, though I have performed at stranger places."

The father slowly moved to the side, allowing the man to walk in.

"Lovely home." Constantine commented. "I assume your daughter told you I was coming? John Constantine, Warlock, master of the mystic arts, etc, etc. Oliver Queen tells me he owes your daughter a favor. Since I owed him one this seemed a pleasurable way of repaying the debt."

Eliza walked down the stairs with Clark behind her, at the mother's insistence. "You have to be kidding me." she whispered, taking in the man who looked like a drunk at one of the bars J'onn used to pull Kara out of when she was on a human liquor kick.

"Afraid not." Constantine told her. "No kidding involved. So...where is she?"

"I'm right behind you." Kara told him, making the Warlock jump. He turned and saw her, Alex behind the girl and her eyes glowing. "You were supposed to come to our house, not here. I don't know you so stay away from my family. This is between us."

Constantine chuckled, liking this one. She was everything he expected her to be, except for the old jeans and white grease stained t shirt she wore instead of the tight top and short skirt he had hoped to find her in.

"I was planning to visit your home but was drawn here. Your home doesn't have what we need but here is perfect."

Kara stepped up to the man and crossed her arms, her eyes still glowing. "There will be no black magic in our home."

Constantine stepped back, taking her in, ignoring her glowing eyes. Scanning her body he stopped at her right hand and nearly jumped back again.

"I was told you had a totem attached to your body, not the bloody devil himself. You are a tortured soul, aren't you? Still, I never back down from a challenge. I will need some things. First, food. I had quite a few drinks at the old airport bar, after I arrived of course and could use some solid sustenance. Anything would do, perhaps lobster? A nice rib eye or filet mignon? What about leg of lamb?"

Alex approached the man, anger written on her face. She had expected someone who looked at least a bit professional, not a poorly dressed private investigator who looked as if he had been on one hell of a bender.

"How about a sandwich? You can even have potato chips. Then we get to work. I want this over with as quickly as possible and if you trap her soul inside some spooky dimension and leave her I will cut your throat when you get back."

Constantine took her in, impressed. The protectiveness was evident but this small girl was fierce. At least Kara had blue eyes now and death rays ready to fire. There was a blinding bond between the two sisters. He had flashes of two young girls talking to each other in a dark...cave perhaps, speaking different languages but still understanding each other.

"So much for small town Southern hospitality." the man muttered. "Do you have Dijon mustard?"

"No." Eliza answered. "We have normal mustard. We aren't crazy about this. Kara seems to think you are her only chance. Please tell me you know what you are doing."

Constantine chuckled. "Relax, I am a professional. Do you think Oliver would have sent for me if I didn't know what I was doing?"

"I broke his leg and burned down his lair once, so yeah, probably." Kara pointed out. "But Sara Lance said you brought her soul back to her body. I had a friend run you on facial recognition and you are John Constantine. Nyssa vouched for you so that is good enough for me. Have as much food as you want. You have ten minutes and we get to work."

"Fair enough Kara. Is it alright if I call you that? I am a huge fan. I actually have some pictures in the rental if you would consider..." he stopped talking, noting his attempts at levity were not being well received. Mentioning that the photos were printed from various websites featuring her in different poses in the air on windy days did not seem like a good idea. The man had expected to deal with her at her residence but he felt the need to come to this place, one he instinctively knew she had grown up in.

John ate in silence, trying to ignore the stares of those at the table with him. Hurrying to finish, he stood up and tried to relax.

"This would be easier if three of you weren't considering shooting me and one of you considering punching my heart out. I'm talking about you little man." he commented with a smile. "I'm no mind reader but I am picking up a bit of negative energy."

"Would you guys leave us alone for a bit? I will be alright, I promise. Go outside in case anything happens or go to my place." Kara suggested.

The family walked out the kitchen door and sat down on the swings on the back porch which was as far as they would go.

"I am impressed by how protective they are. Mind if we look around?"

Kara looked at him suspiciously. "The ring is here on my finger. Why do you need to look around?"

"Why do you need to question everything love? If we have any chance of this, we need to be on the same page. Now that the overprotective family is away we can discuss this realistically. We are going to have to go inside that thing on your finger. Its a living, breathing temple waiting to explode. To do this I need to get a feel for your surroundings and find the best place to do this. I was drawn here and need to know why. Now, may we look around? I promise not to look in any drawers."

Kara's face relaxed a bit, appreciating his candor more than the jovial personality he showed her family.

"Go and I will follow." she told him.

Constantine did not linger downstairs other than looking at paintings and photos on the wall. He quickly hurried up the stairs and into the empty bedroom that used to belong to her and Alex.

The man stepped over the spot where her bed once resided and knelt down, touching the floor, then shuddered.

"The nightmares, the pain, you did a number on yourself, didn't you, love?"

Hearing no reply from Kara, he stood up and walked to the bathroom. Stepping inside, he once again, knelt on the floor and placed a palm down.

"I have seen many suicides and suicide attempts but this one, trying to rip your arm open with your fingernails...that is new. You spilt your blood here, by your own hand. But it isn't enough. You were not at your darkest here. Where was it?"

Kara felt a chill in the air, and despite having her powers, shuddered.

"How did you know?" she whispered.

"This house cries for your pain. It loves you, but it couldn't completely protect you from yourself, could it? Where was it? Where did you spill the most blood? Where did you try to end the pain, not out of fear but of pure intent, out of a desire for the pain to stop?"

The man looked at her wrists then realized no scar would remain on the girl, not outwardly at least.

"National City." Kara finally told him. "The bathroom at my old place. I got drunk, cut my wrists lay down on the floor and waited until I feel asleep. I should have died."

Constantine shook his head. "If you should have died, you would have. Take me there. That is where we will enter the Ring."

Kara looked at him doubtfully. "Enter the Ring? You were serious? I went through hell when it was first on me. I had to relive my life, face every dark thought and action..."

"The ring forced you to do that. It invaded your soul. Now we will invade it, force it away. To do this we have to be inside it, not inside you. Blood magic feeds off despair, anger, depression, every negative emotion you can think of. To enter it, we need a portal and to make a portal strong enough to breech it, I need to be at the place where you felt all those the strongest. We will enter where your blood was spilled by your own hand."

Kara looked at him for a moment, her face not betraying the fear she now felt. The blonde had hoped the man could say some magic words over her finger and her old body would be back and the ring gone. Now it seemed she had one more hell to face. She had seen the personification of the ring in her mind. It looked just like her. What would she see inside it?

Constantine was not fooled by her stoic face. He could feel the fear radiating from her.

"Kara, I realize this is frightening. I cannot promise you we can convince or force this ring to leave your body and leave you alive. I can only promise that I am very good and will do my best no matter the cost. I realize I may not be much to look at other my obvious physical attractiveness but I am powerful. I have seen some frightening totems in my life but never seen or felt one of this power. In order for us to have any chance you are going to have to trust me. Can you do that? If it helps, I think Oliver Queen can be an ass some of the time as well, even if he did once save my life."

Despite the fear she was feeling, Kara laughed, albeit nervously. The man had a wicked grin that she didn't find that annoying and most importantly her gut was telling her she could trust him.

"Yeah, I trust you. I'm just kind of new at this. I want it gone."

"Let's have a seat. I need you to tell me everything that has led up to this ring finding its way onto your pretty finger and everything you know about it."

To Kara's surprise, Constantine did have a seat, on the toilet. Figuring it wouldn't be the strangest place they would converse today, she hopped onto the vanity and began. Kara told him everything she knew about Atrocitus's plan, what had happened when she accepted the ring, what she saw afterward in the lake of blood on Ysmault and her desire to use it, the power it gave her, the bloodlust she felt often. Then without being prompted, she told him about her life on Earth, the good and the bad.

The more she spoke, the paler the man became.

John Constantine had battled nearly every metaphysical, supernatural threat on this planet but this ring was another level, one he was not sure he could beat. With this ring on her finger, she was basically a celestial being, unable to be defeated by magic or the physical, her light barely keeping the darkness from completely overtaking her.

Of course the Amazon's sword and lasso had worked on the girl to a point so there was hope.

When Kara had finished her recount of events, the man took a deep breath.

"Okay, so worst possible situation, high chance I won't survive this encounter with the alien demon. I'm in. First, we must go to the place you slit your wrists. Would you prefer us to take a commercial liner? I only travel in first class and you are paying...fine, I travel in economy. I am not being carried by you in the air unless you would like to hold me bridal style and don't mind if I smoke."

Kara dismissed both of those ideas.

"It's safe for humans to follow me through a portal." the girl told him, not exciting him in the least. Stepping through unknown doorways was a no no in his business but he supposed he should get a feel for the red energy.

"Let me tell my family where I am going and we can leave. The DEO owns the apartment now so it will probably be empty. I need to make a call to be sure."

Constantine retreated back to her bedroom, taking it all in. He tried to feel past the pain and was surprised to feel love as well. He could feel her happiness under her darkness, the happiness of her sister, her anchor. Deciding they had better get a move on, the man walked downstairs and through the back door, where he found the family in a hushed but intense debate about him.

Deciding to give them time, he stepped to the other end of the porch to enjoy the view. He took a smoke out but before the flame could light it a blast of icy wind blew the cigarette out of his mouth.

"We do all have lungs." Clark told the man. "I would prefer they not be polluted."

"Noted." Constantine agreed, brushing a bit of frost off the shoulder of his coat. This one was not like his sister. His heart for the most part was pure and there was great love and protectiveness in his aura. He also had a special bond with Kara, one of caring, almost fatherly, despite his young age. All five of them were a mixture of emotions but they acted as one. It was refreshing for him to see, not exactly having loving parents and siblings growing up.

"I'm going with her." Alex finally decided for all of them.

Constantine was not surprised. "Excellent. You can go in with us. You will be her anchor. That is what you are, correct? You keep her from losing her way?"

"I'm a scientist and a badass. If I suspect this is some sort of con, I am cutting your throat. Still want to do this?"

The man grinned, liking this one more and more. "Wouldn't have it any other way, Love. So we are going through a blood magic infused portal to the site of your near death, right? Let's get on with it."

The Warlock felt a chill when Kara used the ring to open the portal. The portal did not frighten him as much as the change in her clothes and eyes. There was an edge he had not seen before. It was obvious when she used this thing it was almost as if her and the demon inside merged, allowing the entity to affect the physical plane.

The feel of the portal was also disturbing because it did not feel like one he had experienced before. This was less magic and more a physical bending of the space time continuum. So the demon was not only metaphysical but physical as well. It was easy to see how she had stopped that monster in Metropolis. He doubted in a prolonged fight, now that the girl had her mind and experience with the ring, that the Amazon goddess would have stood a chance.

The apartment he found himself in was barren, but the lights still worked, thankfully.

"I hope you have a large bathroom. It will be awkward if we have to sit cramped together. Kara love, please put out the ring. We need to keep the demon at bay, not let it loose any more than necessary."

Kara did as requested and returned to her former old clothes. The three moved to the bathroom and Constantine was nearly blown back by the sensation. He could almost see the pool of blood that she had once lay in.

"I should probably point out that I don't like horror movies." Kara told him nervously. "I really, really don't like horror movies."

"Neither do I." Constantine agreed. "There are so may inaccuracies. Did you know that Annabelle is not at all like the doll in the movie but actually a Raggedy Ann doll?"

Kara's eyes widened. "That was real? Alex, you told me the Conjuring wasn't real."

"It wasn't." Alex told her shortly.

"Don't be ridiculous." the man disagreed. "One of the worst hauntings of a home in American history. The demons in that place, let me tell you, that witch was no joke from what I heard. I have had the pleasure of meeting Lorraine Warren. The stories that woman can tell are fascinating."

"You told me it wasn't real, Alex!"

Alex rolled her eyes and then glared at the poorly groomed man. "Please don't encourage her." the older sister told him.

"Encourage her? You do realize we are about to perform a ritual to enter the lair of a supernatural alien demons that resides on your sister's finger, correct?" Constantine asked.

Alex said nothing for a moment, then nodded. "I admit you have a point. Okay, how do we do this?"

"First we sit. Alex, you should know that whatever we find inside that thing will attack you first. You and your sister's souls are connected. It will try and sever you from her. This works out well for me since it increases my own chances of survival. Kara will be safe. The demon needs her body for a host but the two of us are unneeded. We are fair game."

"Then she stays here." Kara said quickly. "I can't risk your life. Not again." she told Alex.

Constantine frowned at this. "Did you not here the part about her increasing my chance of surviving? I thought you two were superheroes and such, saving the world one innocent at a time. They don't come more innocent than me."

Alex shook her head, noting the amused look on the man's face and wondering how he could be so nonchalant in the face of what they were about to perform.

"What do you mean our souls are connected?" the older sister asked.

Constantine shrugged his shoulders and sat cross legged on the floor, motioning for the two to do the same.

"I don't know myself. You both have lived before as sisters but I am not into past life regressions. I know a fortune teller in the Himalayans who could probably tell you more. I do know that the two of you have been strongly bound before and it carried over. Obviously, this time, she wound up on another planet but these things happen, I suppose. Alex, in or out?"

"Alex..." Kara started, though she knew it would do no good.

"I'm in. So we going to hold hands and chant something?" Alex asked. "How do we defend ourselves inside this ring? Can you really get us there? What if you make a wrong turn and we wind up in some sort of alternate hell dimension? Are there guns there? Can I shoot something? What do you mean by sever our souls? Are swords going to be involved? Do I have a sword waiting on me there, or do I need to find a rock..."?

'Bollocks woman! Would you relax already? Both of you stay close to me and we will be fine. I will have a reasonable conversation with whatever entity is powering this damn ring and work out an amicable agreement or I will send it to hell...or whatever its version is. Take my hands, both of you, and relax, clear your mind, so forth and so on. This will get us where we need to be."

Constantine pulled a black, almost fossilized severed finger from inside his coat pocket and placed it on the floor in front of him.

"When it starts spinning, it will be time to go. You may feel a bit out of sorts. Relax, it is perfectly natural." the man advised, took their hand in each of his and began chanting.

The girls had their eyes closed but did crack them open at the same time and gave each other doubtful looks. Kara was seriously rethinking whether this was a good plan. The man kept a severed finger in his coat pocket.

Then to her shock the finger did move, spinning in a one place, slowly and then faster as the man chanted in what Kara was certain was Ancient Hebrew, though she did not know the language that well. She felt the air began to blow around them as if they were in a sort of small tornado, then the wind turned red. Constantine began to chant louder, quicker, his tone of voice changing from one of requesting to one of commanding.

Kara and Alex both closed their eyes and tensed, the blonde not caring if she crushed the man's hand. A feeling neither her nor Alex could describe nor had ever felt ran through their bodies and both girls screamed.

Then the wind stopped, the feeling coursing through their veins gone and the air much warmer. Both of them peaked with one eye and found they were no longer in their old apartment.

John let go of their hands and stood up, the two following his movements.

Taking a look around, it was obvious to Kara they were still on some physical plane in a large empty room of sorts, lit by the glowing red stones that made up the walls.

They were alone. Everything felt so real, the air felt the same as Earth's atmosphere but Kara still made sure to check on Alex. Her older sister did not appear to have any problem breathing.

Constantine pulled out a foot long blade from his overcoat. It had a blue glow to it and the blade was curving in and out a bit, resembling something a person might buy in a medieval souvenir shop, but this was very real and appeared very sharp.

"Uh, do you have another one of those?" Alex asked.

"No. You couldn't handle it regardless. This is my wand."

"Its a blade." Kara said, pointing out the obvious and desperately wanting Alex to have some sort of weapon.

Constantine agreed. "I never claimed to be Harry Potter. So this is inside the ring. The stones are glowing bright. Have you used the ring recently?"

"Uh, yeah. I've been making portals quite a bit like I did just now." she admitted.

"No other use though? You haven't killed anyone with it, have you?"

Kara looked at Alex who had closed her eyes and was thinking they probably should have discussed this before they came here.

The blonde cleared her throat. "Just a few White Martians."

John tensed. "Could you be more precise?"

Kara looked to her sister, who seemed resigned to Kara revealing the truth.

"I may have killed a thousand or so during one of their ceremonies and destroyed a pyramid on Mars."

Constantine dropped his head. "You destroyed a pyramid? That's not good. So just a mass murder spree on Mars? No other instances?"

Kara shook her head. "That's the only instance where I murdered someone, or anyone I guess. Sometimes it talks to me, I can't understand it but it whispers in my ear almost, tempting me, almost like I'm hungry in a room full of food or I need to explode and it's my only release."

Constantine nodded, expecting as much. "We probably should have had this conversation before we came here. I forgot to ask about mass murders and destroying holy sites. Not to worry though. Alex, the demons will take physical form here. You will be able to fight them, but...I would recommend ducking and weaving while I work."

"Demons? As in more than one?" the brunette asked, catching that.

"Oh yes. I can feel them." Constantine confirmed. "Come out you bastards. Show yourself."

A disembodied voice filled the room.

"We do not answer to humans."

Constantine actually laughed. "You are bloody well going to answer to me, considering I just broke into your home and will begin seeing how much damage can be done to it. You know me I am sure. I'm sort of a big deal. Now let me see your pretty faces, and we can talk like the bastards we all are."

Four figures showed themselves in front of the trio, all wearing black robes, their faces shadows underneath and impossible to make out.

Kara knew who they were immediately. "The Inversions." she whispered. "Where is Atrocitus? He is your leader." she asked the four figures.

"Atrocitus is not allowed here. His soul remains in the battery he used our blood to create. We are his victims. It was our blood that made you what you are, what you were born for."

Constantine pulled a pack of cigarettes and lit one. Taking a few steps closer to the four shadowy figures, he smiled.

"I think we both know she was born to be a hero, a champion of her adopted home. I admit she isn't perfect, can probably drink me under a table, snorts drugs like they are candy, kills thousands of sentient beings and destroyed a sacred structure, but who doesn't on a wild Friday night, am I right?"

Kara closed her eyes. "I thought you were on my side." she whispered to the man, stepping up and standing beside him, glad he wasn't her lawyer.

"You think they don't know? They have invaded your head. I have handled Satan before. I have this." Turning back the Inversions, he resumed his conversation. "She is not meant to be your servant. She has also saved thousands, protected the innocent, saved the entire planet I am sure at one time or another. She is not your vessel. Turn her blood back to what is was meant to be and leave peacefully. We don't want this to get ugly, do we?"

The Inversions said nothing for a moment, a moment that seemed to last an eternity. Alex was behind Kara, keeping and eye on her while desperately trying to see some sort of weapon in the room.

"She will protect the Universe, not just Earth. She will destroy the Guardians of Oa. It was foreseen by our murderer. It is only a matter of time. Her imprisonment in the Lake of Blood was unforeseen, but she cannot resist forever. This ring cannot, will not, ever leave her body until we release her. We will haunt he until she can no longer ignore her destiny."

John took a long drag of his smoke and tossed it to the ground, not bothering to snuff it out.

"So, you talk to her, tempt her, the more she uses the ring, the stronger your voice. You tempt her more, make her hunger for it until she is lost and Kara Danvers is no more. Do I have that right, chum?"

The Inversions said nothing.

"What a second rate possession. You gentleman have been doing this for a while? You tempt her like a devil. The Blood Magic on Maultis..."

"Ysmault." one of the Inversions corrected.

"Yes, I'm sure. Regardless, this Lake of Blood counters your magic, forces you to the background and only by tempting her can you regain control? Honestly Mate, I've seen third class demons better at performing a possession than you. Now, lets talk about what it will take for you to leave her alone, be on your way. Perhaps another being, one with anger problems? What about the big ugly beast that killed Damian Darhk? He seems like the kind of chap who would kill just for fun."

A deep laugh filled the room.

"We have no need. The Lake of Blood was only a setback. You have brought the means of her surrender to us. If she does not do as we wish, we will keep her sister, force her to kill her family. She cannot resist."

Kara raised her right arm and screamed but no energy was released from her ring.

"You expect to use our magic against us? Surrender to the ring and we will allow this Warlock and your sister to return to the physical world. You will surrender your mind; do as we command. You will cease to exist but your rage will live on in your body. Once you have completed your task, the ring will be destroyed and you along with it. You will finally have the peace you desire. That is our bargain."

Kara attempted to rush the creature speaking but was held back by Constantine, who was grateful she did not have her strength in this realm.

"Constantine give me your damn knife." Alex whispered harshly.

The Warlock shook his head. "Afraid not, Pet. They are right, this ring will not come off, but I can silence them. So long as she does not use it, she will not be tempted. Their voices will quiet and she will feel no more urge to destroy anything."

"How do you plan to do that?" Kara asked, still being held by back by him.

"It's simple. I am going to kick their asses and put a binding spell on them. So long as you do not use the ring for any reason they cannot speak to you. I do this kind of thing all the time so relax. Stand by your sister. I have this."

The man began to glow, his hand reaching out and wrapping the four beings into a bubble, chains appearing, attempting to pull them together.

The chains shattered. Pointing his blade, a blue stream of light struck the one in the middle. The other three rushed the man who began spinning, turning into a blur and hacking the robes of the three surrounding him, as their hands attempted to burn him.

"Alex!" he shouted. "Behind the one on the ground, there should be a chest. Find it and open it!"

"I don't see a chest!"

"I never said this would be easy! Run, find it, watch out for remnants. Kara, stay back."

"What the hell is a remnant?!" the brunette asked.

"You will know them if you see them." he assured her, his body lighting up and the shadowy figures screaming with every burning touch. Constantine raised his hand, tossing one away without touching him.

Lighting appeared, striking the four figures as they approached once again and thunder filled the room, the walls beginning to shake.

Kara did not do as instructed of course, running behind Alex. The two girls looked everywhere, seeing nothing but hard ground that was shaking.

Constantine hoped they found it soon. The power of these extraterrestrial demons was amazing. He had sounded confident when he was first approached, belittling them, hoping to bluff them to do his bidding. Now the worst had occurred. He was outnumbered, fighting to survive and trying to figure out where the box was. Every evil had a trap, something that emerged from the Lake of Blood and held them back, allowing Kara to regain her mind.

He realized quickly that there was no way to remove the ring without killing her.

But he could lock these bastards away.

Finally his spells caught hold, tossing them into the shaking walls. Not much for physical combat, he did manage to punch one as he stood, causing the hood to fall off.

"You are one ugly mother." the man shouted, stepping back. The alien was black, had rows of sharp teeth and dark pools where his eyes had once been. A counterstrike sent him tumbling back on the ground. Rolling up on his knees, he summoned another blast of lighting, followed by a blast from his wand, then stabbed two of the creatures, causing them to shriek in pain, nearly bursting his ear drums.

While Constantine fought for his life and a distraction, the Danvers sisters were in the back of the room, searching for an invisible box of some sort.

"I can't see anything. Even my ring isn't giving me a hint." Kara told her sister, trying to watch her back.

Then Kara, the Kara that had been created after the ring first attached itself to her, appeared and attacked Alex, striking her from behind. The blonde screamed and tackled the black and red clad creature that resembled her, while Alex recovered.

"I guess I know what a remnant is now." Alex mumbled, annoyed that even in a metaphysical realm, she could feel pain. Glancing to the side, she saw Kara rolling around with her doppelganger who now looked to have very sharp teeth.

She then saw other's materializing from the walls, dead aliens no doubt, perhaps former Red Lanterns, who resembled alien zombies. The girl was fairly certain she would follow Kara's lead and swear off horror movies after this adventure.

Using her eyes was getting her nowhere, so she slipped into a meditative trance, something Connolly had taught her years ago, in the event the adrenalin of combat interfered with her thoughts. She noted to her slight surprised that Kara was now wearing her Supergirl costume, fighting her Red Lantern self. She noted that the remnants were getting closer but paid no mind. If they reached her, they reached her, but she needed to find this box.

Putting herself into a state of perfect relaxation, realizing that not only her life but Kara's as well, was at stake, she reached out with her mind and feelings, the gut instincts that she trusted and had gotten her through so many battles.

Then she felt it, the back of the room, just behind one ugly humanoid remnant. The older sister ran, and the remnant prepared for attack, only to find Alex diving over him and rolling on the ground. When it turned, she kicked the creature from the floor into its gut, dropping him momentarily and grabbed the old stone chest.

"I have it!" she shouted at Constantine.

The man was bloodied, his blue blade now black as he continued to slice, protecting himself against opponents who would back away only to attack once again.

"Open the damn thing already!" he shouted.

Alex grabbed the heavy lid and pushed it up, taking another shot to the head, then being held by her neck by a very strong grip.

Kara broke from her fight, realizing Alex had been trapped in the grip of a monster. Her distraction led to her doppelganger striking her chin, dazing her.

Constantine, seeing the chest was open, pulled all his remaining power into him, reforming the chains that wrapped the demons together and pulled them close together. Raising his hands, shouted a spell in Egyptian and the Inversions floated then were flung towards the chest. As they neared it, Alex saw them morph into a black cloud and enter the chest, the lid closing down quickly and red energy sealing the container.

Her neck was let go as the remnant and its friends disappeared and she fell to the ground roughly.

Looking around the room, she made sure Kara was alone, the remnants were gone. Taking a deep breath, she stood back up and walked to her sister, helping her off the ground.

"You okay?" Kara asked. "Your neck..."

"I'm good. You look like you have been in a bar fight against a Kryptonian."

"Now that was a bloody good fight!" Constantine shouted, sitting down on the floor and pulling a crushed pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket. Taking a bent one out he lit up and inhaled deeply.

Alex and Kara approached the man and sat on the floor next to him

"So that's it?" the older sister asked. "We go back and her body is normal again?"

The man sadly shook his head.

"I could not change her back. That totem is too strong to remove without killing her. We were successful though. Without those so called Inversion bastards, the rings power is greatly diminished. I am sorry, Kara. It was the best I could do. You should be able to wear one of these red sun devices full time. The power of the ring will keep you alive but not much else. It won't destroy your body, even weakened."

The two sisters took that in, disappointed but still in relief that they had survived this.

"So that's it." the blonde finally said.

"No, that's not it. As long as they are locked in their trap, they can no longer talk to you. You won't feel the hunger to use the power, the temptation, so long as you never use it again, for anything. Any use of that power, even a portal will bring them back and return you to your former power. You can live the rest of your life with it and it should not kill you. It was the best I could do. They did not lie. The metaphysical changed the physical but they are trapped and silenced now."

Kara smiled, thinking it was better than nothing. She could wear this ugly ring and a tight bracelet for the rest of her life so long as her life would be natural. It was a small price to pay and a better situation that she had found herself in.

"Kara," Constantine told her again for clarification. "If you ever use that ring again in a fight or even just playing around, they will be released. They will drive you mad until you do what they want and then probably destroy the ring so you aren't a threat to other Red Lanterns. I am deadly serious. You can never use that ring. It will keep you alive now, but that is all. The voices will go away, the hunger will disappear. The only temptation to use it will be yours. Whatever you do, never charge it on Ysmault. Do you understand?"

"Can I grow old?" the blonde asked.

"Your parents and sister can answer that better than I can, but what you have told me about these red sunlight devices then yes. So long as you wear one, your life should return to normal as much as possible."

Alex took her sister's hand and looked at her nervously. To her relief, Kara was smiling.

"Then this trip was worth it. How do we get back? I don't like it here."

Constantine grinned and snubbed his cigarette out.

"Its a complicated ritual, requiring a virgin."

The two sisters looked at each other, very concerned.

"I joke. Relax you two. We just trapped four demons. Let's go back to your bathroom and celebrate."

The man snapped his fingers and the trio were once again sitting on the floor in the bathroom of their old apartment, thankfully not showing the injuries they had sustained. Kara looked at her ring immediately. The glow that always seemed to be present even without using it was gone. It looked like any other strange ring someone would buy in a novelty shop, not an alien weapon.

"Thank you." she whispered gratefully.

The Warlock shrugged his shoulders. "I wish I could have done more. I will continue my research, hope that I can banish them for good as well as this totem from you, but this is the best we can do for now. As far as thanks there is no need, I haven't had that much fun in years."

The three left, Alex still concerned but Kara feeling lighter than she had been since she took the ring in Metropolis.

Alex made a quick call to their parents, giving a brief explanation and assuring them they would tell them what happened in detail when they arrived back in Midvale.

The blonde sprung for three first class tickets and while Alex and she waited in the boarding area and Constantine sat at the bar, they finally had a chance to let their guard down and hugged each other.

"You could have been killed." Kara told her.

"I've always told you, I am not that smart when it comes to you. We got through it. It won't be easy but we can resume our normal lives."

"By normal you mean I sit in a crystal tiara three times a day?" Kara asked humorously.

Alex grinned and wrapped an arm around her.

"Normal for us." she amended. "It may not be a perfect life but it's ours and I like it."

Kara agreed. Her sister had now entered her mind while under the influence of the Black Mercy and followed her into a demonic home where she fought some sort of alien zombies and Kara fought herself. In her mind, that was a win, even if her heart was still not beating and the red energy continued to keep her alive, Alex was okay.

Kara was alive and for the first time in a long time, that was good enough for her.

The girl smiled wistfully. "I thought after Doomsday we had fought every possible type of alien in the Universe. Coluans, Kryptonians, Kryptonian super weapons, White Martians. I never thought we would end our career fighting alien zombies and demons."

"Yeah," Alex agreed, "we should probably stop there. Our recent adventures have gotten a bit out of hand."

Two days later, at her bedroom window looking out over the ocean, Kara continued to work on her painting of Clark.

She had spoken to Gardner the night before on the phone, not wanting to be near his ring's power and explained what had happened. The man was fascinated and asked that she update him if this Constantine fellow ever did find a way to completely remove the other rings. The idea that all four Inversions lived in Kara's ring or were at least drawn to it explained the immense power she had over them. He didn't know what demons or blood or other spooks powered his ring and didn't care. According to the blonde, she no longer felt tempted or a need to use the ring.

Kara had not lied to him. Though constantly aware of the ring on her finger in a physical sense as she was aware of the thin skin tight bracelet on her ankle or wrist, depending on the day, it had been getting better, a part of her, familiar jewelry one didn't even notice...sort of like the necklace she used to wear. The blonde had not worn that piece of jewelry since the night at Barry's apartment and thought of him daily. She kept her promise though and had not looked in on him. It was for the best.

Kara also had to be very careful not to cut herself. She didn't think the ring had enough juice other than keeping her alive but suspected if she did cut herself, an acidic form of blood would drip out, and no band aid was going to stop it. Not sure what the effects would be, she stayed well clear of knives, going as far as voluntarily using plastic knives in the kitchen.

The side effects of her bands were present but she no longer felt nausea and her appetite returned. The girl still experienced bouts of dizziness and disorientation at times, but was regaining some of her old energy, even thinking of running and exercising once again.

Kara was beginning to see hope. She had no idea what the future would bring. It could be a nightmare, it could be wonderful, or it could be a mixture.

She also had to think about her future plans soon. Though she had quite a bit left from her black market sale of her Vincent, and a home that was paid for, she still needed something to do besides paint near her window every day.

Kara wanted a goal, a possible career.

She just had no idea what the goal or career would be. It would be a topic she could bring up with Leslie over the next few sessions.

Without the ability to make portals or fly, the Gotham trips to meetings were out, so she would return to her meetings near Midvale and occasionally Raleigh. Perhaps she could convince Leslie to back therapy off to once or twice a week again.

The future may have been in doubt, but Kara was beginning to realize she could have a future and that was a step in the right direction.

Deciding it was time to see how exercise affected her, she dressed in shorts, sports bra and tank top, pulled her hair in a ponytail and placed her glasses on to go for a run. Today was Eliza's day to monitor her brain at lunch time while Jeremiah and Alex actually returned to the University to conduct research that was not related to her head.

Probably not related to her head, anyway.

Once she reached the door, she stopped short when hearing a knock. Eliza never knocked and no one came to see her, ever. She had no friends in Midvale, not having associated before she left for National City much and with no one since she returned. She debated going to the kitchen for a knife then remembered all her sharp ones were placed in the attic. Alex had taken her gun with her. It seemed her only recourses were to retreat to the Fortress, get her com and ask Kelex who it was, or answer the door like a normal person. She supposed it could have been a mailman with a delivery she needed to sign for but she hadn't ordered anything.

The girl took a deep breath and opened the door, appearing relaxed but muscles coiled, ready for anything.

Anything but her former history teacher from Midvale High.

"Miss Evans?"

Marie Evans had been Kara's favorite teacher, hands down, her sophomore through senior year. Despite the books she had read, Evans knew things about US and World history including the ancients, that amazed Kara. While she was polite with other teachers but still shy, the girl soaked in everything the woman had to say, even after class.

"Hello Kara. I heard you and your family had moved back to Midvale and you had built a home. I had to come see it for myself. Have I caught you at a bad time?" the woman asked. She still looked nearly the same, a beautiful woman in her late forties, dark hair longer and straighter now, still wearing green contacts and the same athletic build, standing nearly six feet tall. In addition to being a history teacher she had also helped coach several sports, including Alex's soccer team their senior year.

"Of course not. I was just going for a run. You are the perfect reason to talk myself out of it. Please come in." Kara told her with a large smile, stepping aside.

Evans walked around the living room, impressed with the decor, recognizing Kara's style in the paintings on the wall and taking in the family photos of the Danvers on various vacations. These interested her the most because Kara did not wear her glasses. She wasn't surprised.

Taking a seat on the couch, while Kara sat beside her, she waited for Kara to make the first move.

"Can I offer you some water? I can make some tea or coffee. Alex and I don't really drink any soda. I may have a sports drink..."

"I am good, Kara." Marie interrupted. "How are you? How is Alex?"

"Good!" she responded, reverting back to her sunny disposition from high school. "She is working with my parents at UNC Raleigh and I ...well, I suppose you can say after the pressure of National City, I am easing into the small town life. I had saved some money in National City and decided to build my home here. I wanted to be close to the water and close to my parents and brother. How have you been?"

"Wonderful." Evans told her. "The semester starts soon so it is a busy time. I no longer teach. I am the principle of Midvale Junior High now."

Kara was surprised. She knew the woman loved to teach, but she also had a career and being promoted to vice principals, principals and superintendents was a natural career path in the educational field.

"Congratulations. I feel for your old students though, missing out on your classes."

"They don't." Evans said with an evil grin. "I think you were the only student who actually liked me."

"That is not true." Kara assured her, though Evans did have a reputation for being tough.

"And I was probably the only teacher in Midvale that saw you outside of class, who you actually looked in the face, who found the history of a planet fascinating and soaked up as much as you could so quickly. You were my favorite student, Kara. I have been worried about you and your sister since the two of you left for college."

That surprised her a bit but she shouldn't have been. Kara kept her distance from nearly every student and teacher, only socializing when necessary. The students for the most part ignored her as Alex's silent sister and the teachers knew of her anxiety problems so never pushed.

"My anxiety has gotten better. I actually look people in the eye now and can carry conversations with strangers. There was no need to worry."

Evans laughed softly and took the girl's hands in her own.

"I was more concerned about my favorite student fighting monsters, including one that nearly killed her in Metropolis."

Kara was speechless, cursing herself, wondering how many other people in Midvale knew and if she would have to leave.

"Relax, Kara." Marie told her. "No one else knows, or at least no one else has ever said anything and I am sure they would. After your face was captured in that baseball stadium, I knew it was you. You did an excellent job at hiding from the world, but I knew you. It was your eyes. I have to say the darker hair makes the disguise even better. No one else saw you, ever really saw you, but I did. Have you healed from that last fight? I understand you nearly died?"

Kara listened to the woman intently and detected no deception in her voice. Perhaps if she could be convinced to keep a secret...if not Kara would not run. She would just ask J'onn to wipe her memory.

Kara showed her the ring on her right hand.

"This...thing saved my life, keeps me alive. As long as I wear it, I am okay." she told her former teacher, giving her a certain amount of truth. The woman certainly did not need to know the whole story.

Evans nodded. She had thought it might have been a quirky ring Kara had picked up somewhere when she took her hands. The ring didn't feel any different than a normal ring, but considering her former favorite student turned out to be an alien, nothing should surprise her.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Kara asked.

Evans shook her head. "Put you, your family and myself at risk? Not likely. None of us needed that secret coming to light. I honestly thought other teachers or students would recognize you, but you have done a fantastic job of hiding in plain sight, even in a town as small as Midvale. So your press conference..."

The blonde dropped her head and pulled her hands away from Evans. "Yeah. I uh, you see..."

"Are you really done?" Marie asked.

"Being...her? Yes, I am really done. I can't do it anymore. I don't want to."

"That's good." Evans agreed, once again surprising Kara. "No one should have that burden constantly on them. So now you are starting another chapter of your life. Any ideas on what you plan to do?"

"Not really." the girl admitted.

Marie nodded, happy with this. She had not lied when she said she worried about Kara over the years and Alex as well, decked in that tight costume that somehow held a lot of weapons.

"I have something for you to think about. This year, my staff is complete, but Roger is retiring as well as Anne after the school year. You remember them of course."

Kara did, Roger Burke was her math teacher in eighth grade and also ran the Choir while Anne had been her art teacher.

"Yes."

"I would ask that you consider taking Anne's place in seventh and eighth grade art and run the Choir after school. It would mean some online classes this year to get your teaching accreditation and some observation hours. Then after this school year you could start. I will even make sure your brother is in your art class."

"Me?" Kara asked, a bit in shock that this surreal conversation was even happening.

"Yes, you. Was your degree in Graphic Design?"

Kara shook her head slowly. "I changed my major my sophomore year to classical art history with a minor in Graphic Design."

"Perfect. I don't get many teachers with those credentials to come to Midvale much less already live here and want to stay. You could do great things. I am hoping to start a musical theater group for the children eventually. Maybe you can help? You do have the voice of an angel in addition to flying like one." Marie reminded her.

Kara shook her head. The idea was frightening in a way. Working with people, leading people? That was not what she did. She hid from people then donned a cape and saved them.

But she had always felt comfortable working with the kids on Clark's soccer teams that Alex coached.

"If you saw my press conference and I suppose the whole world has by now, then you know the problems I have. I wasn't lying. Would you really want someone like me around children?" she asked.

Marie shrugged her shoulders. "You have and I am guessing you are continuing to get help, correct? You think you are the only person in the world in any field that has these problems? Teachers with your issues are dangerous when they aren't getting help. You are. These aren't disabilities, they are challenges. You have never backed down from a challenge while wearing a cape. I doubt you will back down to this one. It is your decision of course. I do hope you will consider it seriously. We can sponsor your online classes for accreditation. You would have to pay for them but the institute we use can get you a spot. The cost isn't much. Consider it and let me know. You know where I live and where I work. Just think about it. I believe you would be great. I hope to hear from you soon."

Evans stood up and walked to the porch, Kara following. She hugged her former student and with a warm smile, left, leaving the girl alone with a lot to think about.


	41. Chapter 41

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 41 Growing**

Kara entered the Fortress calling for Kelex. She had much to do today with her robot ...she supposed he had become her friend and not just a machine. The AI had grown over the years, evolved and taken on the better qualities of humans. Today, they had different ankle and wrist bracelets to design. Today would be a busy day, with her first session, done at home by Alex before she returned to work but her second and third awaited with her mother, plus a meeting tonight with her old group one town away from Midvale.

Then there was the family meeting with Jessica. According to Alex, she believed her former therapist was still counseling Barry, but it wasn't her business. With Connolly no doubt entrenched in Metropolis, it was no concern of hers how often and far the woman traveled or who she saw. The last family meeting was not bad, but perhaps it was because it was Clark's first and no one brought up any major discussion topics.

Despite the upcoming uncomfortable meetings Kara still had not gotten used to, she felt good today. It had been three days since her trip into the hell dimension that resided on her finger and Constantine had not lied. The ring had not glowed, she did not hunger to use it and she didn't hear some sort of unintelligible whispering in her ear.

"Good morning Kara." Kelex greeted her, stepping around a column, startling her greatly. Despite the fact that she had done all the work, seeing her old friend with legs and arms, fingers included, standing nearly six feet tall, freaked her out. She had turned her floating robot into a walking or floating Terminator without the skull face. Instead he still had the one eyed optic lense that could disintegrate any intruders that somehow managed to breach the Fortress as if that was possible.

"Kelex, bracelet, no powers, stop scaring the hell out of me."

"I understand John Constantine restrained the hell inside you three days ago." the robot told her. He was still very confused by the concept of magic. Kara did not blame him. It had taken Nyssa over a month to convince her of the power of the Lazarus Pit and Damian Darhk's abilities.

The blonde shook her head and walked to Justin. She was a bit shocked and then upset that it was monitoring the inside of S.T.A.R. Labs and the Justice League on another screen in some sort of large Hangar.

"What are you doing?! I told you I didn't want them watched any longer, especially Barry!"

"You stated you did not want to watch, you never said I couldn't. I miss Barry." he explained in a reasonable tone that never failed to irritate her.

"You miss him?" she asked.

"It is a new emotion I have been learning about and trying to put into practice."

Kara walked up to Justin and was about to cut the feed when she saw a fight break out, not a normal training fight but an actual fight, a red blur moving around Curry, who was twisting in a whirlwind with his trident. It appeared Barry hit him but did not affect the large man who grabbed the Flash by his throat and tossed him across the room. As soon as Barry hit the ground, he must have been moving again. Kara could not keep up but she saw a red streak and Curry went flying into a truck that was parked wherever they were. Diana had jumped in front of Curry, holding her hands up, while that damn Green Lantern Stewart wrapped a construct around the man, who looked furious.

"What... why are they fighting?"

"They were training." Kelex explained. "The League split into teams. Batman, J'onn J'onzz and the Green Lantern were on one team, and Diana Prince, Arthur Curry and Barry Allen were on the other. The idea was to work as separate teams, sparring against each other until one of them dropped. Barry has done quite well. His reflexes are much faster than a month ago. He still has not perfected increasing the density of his body on strikes from an unphased state but has been generating lightning bolts which he can throw with precision."

Kara did not understand this. Bruce was in front of Barry and outwardly seemed calm but she knew that stance. Batman wasn't happy. Diana was talking to Curry who looked furious, trying to calm the man, while J'onn stood in the middle watching both. Stewart of course, like all Green Lanterns, backed away from the fight and did not interfere in whatever argument was going on.

"If Barry and Curry were on the same team, why were Barry and Curry sparring each other?"

Kelex looked at Kara and for a moment she swore if the robot had a mouth he would have been smiling.

"Clark has made a habit of online gaming at night with Barry Allen after your parents fall asleep. I have a theory that when Clark told Barry about you and Curry swimming together, the emotion called jealousy came into play, causing Barry to strike Curry with a lightning bolt."

Kara dropped her head.

She would remain calm. It wasn't Clark's fault that he talked too much and gave out information on her life to a guy she considered her ex or anyone else.

Yes, it was Clark's fault.

He would pay for this. The brat had gone too far this time.

"Turn it off. Don't watch him again. Is that a clear enough directive for you?"

"But I miss him." Kelex argued again.

"So do I but get over it! Its done and I am trying to move past it. Do not monitor him anymore, that is a direct order that will not be countermanded. Alex may be in charge of the Fortress but you still answer to the Danvers, including me. Is that understood or do you need further clarification?"

"So I shouldn't mention that he was on a social engagement last evening with a woman identified as Patricia Spivot, a CSI student who is receiving her education in Keystone City? Barry called her Patty."

Kara clenched her fists and breathed deeply, counting back from one hundred in her head.

"Kelex," she finally said, after her breathing had calmed, "you know how important it is that I not become angry, correct? You understand this?"

The robot thought for a moment. "Why would this information make you angry? You are moving past it. Do you feel jealousy?"

"What are your prime directives?" Kara asked, counting in her head once again.

"Protect the Danvers at all costs. Defend the Fortress against any intruders using deadly force. Do not harm sentient life forms unless they enter the Fortress without clearance or I am ordered by one of the Danvers. Provide knowledge and support in any manner requested by authorized personnel. Alert the Danvers if I suspect your mental status has deteriorated to a level in which you are no longer able to make rational decisions. Stop any attempts you make take to end your own life and alert them immediately."

"Exactly." Kara agreed, thinking for a second that her AI was becoming out of control. The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for the end of the world by creating Skynet. "I authorized you to study human emotions and assimilate them but that was not a protocol. Attempting to make me jealous and using emotional manipulation because you 'miss' someone, is not ethical nor allowed by any standard of human conduct. Cease spying on Barry Allen immediately. I do not want any information on his life nor you to have any."

Kara sat at her work station and began preparing new designs for red sun bracelets, with a focus on making them lighter weight and less irritable to the skin. After five minutes she gave up.

"Okay, one time and that's it. How did his date go?" she asked Kelex quietly.

"By your standards of outings involving Dick Grayson and Barry Allen in the past, it was unsuccessful. He returned home alone." Kelex happily informed her.

Kara shook her head. It wasn't her business and she had gotten drawn into this conversation by an AI who was growing up too fast.

"Don't do it again, Kelex. I'm serious." she told him.

"So you do not want the background information and recent video I have compiled on Patricia Spivot?"

"No!" the girl shouted. "What part of keeping me from getting angry do you not understand? Do I need to get Mom to have a talk with you?"

Kelex shook his head quickly. "I apologize. I can tell by your heart rate and facial expression that I have upset you. That was not my intent but it has caused another emotion I have been assimilating."

Kara snorted, wishing not for the first time, that she had never allowed the robot to transcend his programming. "What is that? Being an asshole isn't an emotion, it's a lifestyle."

"Guilt." Kelex told her. "I wish to practice a new technique you refer to as apologizing. You are very familiar with it as it is the primary technique you employ after arguments with your family."

Kara actually chuckled at that, glad he wasn't continuing the previous line of questioning and conversation.

"It's okay, Kelex. I should have been clearer in my instructions. I realize emotions are new to you and I am no expert at controlling them. I recognize the difficulties you will face. Just do not look in on him or the Justice League again."

"I understand, you should have been clearer. My recent actions in regard to our discussion are not why I wish to apologize."

Kara turned back to her monitor, trying to focus on her work and ignore the AI.

"Then what are you apologizing for?" she asked, doing her best to sound interested.

"After studying child development, I have come to understand that I harmed you on Krypton. I kept you in isolation from family for days with your only your studies as a consequence of my reports to your father on areas you were not proficient in by his standards. I now realize that the isolation caused feelings of abandonment and what your therapist refers to as low self-esteem and greater anxiety. I did not provide an emotionally healthy atmosphere. I should have been more to you. Since I have come under your command, you have allowed me to grow outside of my original programming and become more. I did not allow you to do the same."

Kara had not turned to face Kelex while he talked, her attention was not on the screen but on trying not to listen to his explanation for the guilt he felt. She sniffed and felt a single tear roll down her cheek, her eyes feeling a familiar stinging of more tears threatening to fall that she had long become accustomed to. The blonde stood up and turned to the robot, looked up at him now with a gentle smile and placed a hand gently on the side of his head.

"It wasn't your fault. We both did what we were programmed to do. We never had a choice, Kelex. I am learning that now we do and you are making the best of yours, much better than I am. If it helps, I feel an emotion for you as well. I feel love. You are my friend, not my property. I am asking you, as a friend, not to look in on or bring up anything to do with the Justice League or Barry Allen again."

Kelex's neural pathways tried to sort this new information. "You consider me a friend, even though I am an artificial life form?"

Kara patted his newly made broader shoulder.

"You are more than an artificial life form. You are becoming sentient. In many ways, you already are. Recall our first mission?"

"747 in distress, on a crash course with downtown National City that would have caused over ten thousand deaths."

Kara nodded. "And what did you advise me to do?"

"Use your heat vision to rupture the fuel tanks and cause an explosion in midair limiting loss of life on the ground."

The blonde chuckled, remembering that day vividly, the day Supergirl was born. "Would you give me the same advice now?"

The robot shook its head. "I have seen you and your sister achieve feats that were against odds of success. I would offer the most probable scenario that could achieve success despite the odds because I have observed your actions and believe in your ability to succeed."

The girl smiled, already having known this. The change in him over the years had been obvious and her and Alex talked about it often in the past.

"That's growing. You are better at it than I am, but I am trying to catch up. What does it mean to be alive? I was never human but I feel less so now. I have energy running through my body keeping me alive instead of blood, just as you have the omegahedron powering you. That doesn't mean we are less alive. I am having to learn this and will continue learning this if I want any hope at living life. You are alive, the same as I am. We think, we feel, we love. I know you love because missing someone is a result of love. We are free of Krypton. Here, on Earth, we are alive. Since we are alive, would you assist me in designing red sun devices that don't cause me to need lotion on a regular basis?"

Kelex nodded his head and moved in front of the monitor while Kara sat. The two began designing new devices and modifying old designs for the next few hours until Eliza arrived for Kara's lunchtime session.

The session was effective Kelex supposed, since Kara actually ate the pot stickers Eliza had brought her and did not vomit, seeming to even enjoy them. This was a success in his mind and caused him to feel his favorite emotion, happiness.

 **S.T.A.R. Labs Hangar**

"What the hell was that about?" Bruce asked Barry, once he had gotten him into a separate room, far from Curry who had probably already left.

"What does it matter? I threw a bolt at you, missed and it struck him. Its not like it killed him. If he has a problem, maybe he should be less emotional."

"You attacked your own teammate in a sparring session." Bruce pointed out. "You let your emotions take over, you failed to harden your body when you struck him. This caused hesitation which allowed him to grab you and attack. You had a moment of weakness because you could not concentrate! You are allowing emotions to cloud your judgement and ability to fight."

Barry knew he attacked Curry. He never missed any longer. He didn't need to run circles to throw lightning bolts now. Yes, he attacked Curry and yes, he did let his emotions cloud his judgement. Despite that, he did not need Batman telling him this. Barry knew what he did but Batman was not the team leader.

No, the team leader had just arrived and kicked the door in as her way of saying hello.

Diana did not often loose her cool, even when attacking opponents viciously. Right now she appeared to have lost her cool.

"Go to Gotham City. I need my Nth metal sharpening block. Be back in five minutes." she instructed the man.

Barry was confused by that request, the reason for it and time given.

"I can't make it to Gotham City and back in five minutes. Its half way across the country." he reminded her.

Diana crossed her arms, the anger that clouded her face not lessening.

"Jordan told Stewart that the Guardians have decided since he is working with us, the Lanterns have no need to protect the sector or give any information on potential threats, even to Jordan. We have an alien sphere that could have come from three different planets that most likely has information on all of us and has sent it back to where it came from. Soon, we will be under attack. We have no idea when, from who, or what we will be facing, but we are on our own. I need people who I can trust, not people who let jealousy cloud their judgement. You are the fastest speedster in this Universe, but right now, I would prefer to have Wally West. I know he would work to get better and never attack his own teammate in a sparring session. The purpose of that exercise was so in the event we had to split up, we would become accustomed to working with different individuals and complement each other's skills. You failed. Go get the block. If you aren't back in five minutes you will try again and again, until you succeed or can no longer run."

Barry shook his head, feeling a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Diana had never spoken to him this way. Batman had walked out of the room thankfully, so one less person to see this dressing down made it slightly better.

Not much better when Diana punched the middle of the table he had been sitting at, splitting it in half.

"We are trying to save the world, because Kara is gone. I will never be caught in a situation where she had to nearly die to kill a monster that should have been our responsibility. Get faster, work harder or bring me Wally West. This is about more than your petty jealousy. Get me the damn block, now. You have five minutes and the clock is ticking."

Barry did run, not so much because of her order but the need to get away. He ran, not bothering to listen to Cisco in his ear providing him directions. He knew the way to the Batcave, thought of Curry under the water with Kara, and ran harder, anger fueling his movements. He didn't care about the time limit, didn't care about zipping around traffic, phasing through everything in his path. He felt the Speedforce wrap around him and reached out, almost seeing the kinetic energy of his body, the people driving, walking, feeling them from a distance.

The Flash was not sure what to do with this new feeling of kinetic energy so he let it go for another time. Right now he just wanted to run. The more he ran the more at peace he felt, until another thought of Curry and Kara popped into his head, causing him to run faster. He knew if he didn't control his vibrations he could slip into another time or another Earth, so he forced himself to calm down and focus.

The man made it back to the Hangar and handed the sharpening block to the Amazon.

"Eight minutes." she told him. "Do it again."

Barry thought of arguing, but instead returned to the Batcave, making it back in what he felt was record time.

"Seven minutes twelve seconds, do it again." she ordered, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, no longer armored, but with a stop watch she had found somewhere.

Barry did it again, irritated at her orders, but wanting to prove to her he could do it. He had no reason to, but the idea of failing Diana bothered him greatly.

Six minutes and ten seconds on the fifth try was the best he could do.

On the sixth run, he completed it in nine minutes.

"Stop. Where is the block?"

Barry had forgotten about that, leaving it on a desk at the Batcave.

"I uh...I left it." he told her, actually beginning to feel winded.

"Do it again."

On the seventh try, he had made it back in nine minutes and eight seconds and doubled over, trying to catch his breath.

Diana tossed the stone to the floor and motioned to grab a chair and sit across from her.

Seeing she had Barry's attention once he had regained his breath and sat, she spoke.

"We may be attacked tonight, tomorrow, a year from now. We have no idea how large an attack force could be coming, what weapons they have, what powers they may have. This is just not about the sphere. This is about the life we chose. If we cannot fight the battles two teenage girls once fought what good are we? I have given you time but time is now up. I need warriors, not boys fretting over a girl. You can go faster, you can become stronger, but you are doing none of those things. If you can't sleep at night, keep running, do something useful. Get better. Learn to work with your teammates, because none of us can do this alone."

Barry closed his eyes and pulled his mask back, the anger he felt before replaced with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry."

Diana ignored his apology. "Do you now why the Amazons needed a queen? Why they needed my mother? Because thousands of Amazons, banished to an island for thousands of years didn't magically get along. There have been disputes, arguments, even bloody fights, but one thing that remained the same was my mother. There was a chain of command and she was the one who settled disputes, stayed calm when anger threatened to split our people. She formed us into what we were, what we are. Because of her, when my Aunt led our army into battle, we all fought as one for the greater good of mankind and for Themyscira and our people. Despite living together for thousands of years, we were one when it counted. Petty arguments went by the wayside."

"I understand." Barry promised.

"No, you really don't. I wanted you on this team because I saw you were capable of great things, not because you were Supergirl's boyfriend. Once you reach your full potential, you will engage the strongest enemy while we fight the larger force. To fight the strongest enemy, you have to be stronger, physically and mentally. You should feel more pressure than any of us. No one and nothing should be able to defeat a speedster. Atrocitus didn't stand a chance. He lost his hand and head before he knew what was happening. Right now, I wouldn't trust you to fight Curry, much less our enemies."

Barry had a hard time looking at her now. Diana was the one who had always trusted him, always believed in him and now the disappointment in her voice was killing him.

"Kara treats her life like she treats her enemies. She destroys it completely. She attempted to cut you out of her life by doing the one thing she knew you would not forgive her for. I shouldn't tell you this. I should make you come to peace with it on your own but for the sake of the team I will. Curry turned her down. J'onn saw it in his mind. He even defended you, your toughness, heart, a heart I am beginning to doubt. We live as one, we die as one. If we die, the world dies. This is bigger than your jealousy and heartache. Go to your job during the day and then come here. Work with your team to get better, unlock these abilities Bruce seems to think you can have and constantly push yourself to get faster. Run until you can't breathe any longer then eat, go to bed, sleep, work and repeat. Do we understand each other?"

Barry nodded his head, finally looking her in the eye.

"I'm sorry."

"Tell it to Curry. I believe in Barry Allen, I always have and I always will, so start being Barry Allen again."

Diana left Barry alone, turning out the lights and leaving him in the dark.

He placed his visor down and saw the time was 6 PM. Running into the control room, he was glad to see Cisco and Caitlin were still there. He grabbed two energy bars from the drawer in front of Caitlin and ate them quickly.

"Those were some amazing times you put up man." Cisco commented, expecting Barry to have been happier.

"No, they weren't. I have to be faster. We are going to do it again and again, until I can be there and back in under five minutes. Then we are going to make it four minutes and keep going faster."

Cisco and Caitlin looked at each other, concerned.

"Barry, not even you can go that fast." Caitlin told him.

"Not yet." the man agreed. "So we need to figure out how to get there. Caitlin figure out what I need to do. More muscle, better reflexes, examine my stride, my posture, the time my heel spends on the ground, even at a nanosecond level. Cisco, you have full access to my suit, right?"

"Uh...yeah."

"I need you to reconfigure the outward sensors to pick up kinetic energy. I have figured out how to control static electricity on command. I need to do the same with kinetic energy. Bruce thinks I can control it, absorb it to make me faster, possibly share it one day and even steal it from other moving objects."

"And you laughed at the idea. You said it was impossible." Cisco reminded his friend.

Barry nodded grimly. "So let's make the impossible happen."

While Barry spent the evening giving Caitlin a baseline on the treadmill to improve, Kara sat in an AA meeting in the back of the room. She sipped a cup of coffee because it was common and she wanted to blend in, but Eliza had her back on her crystal implant diet and Kara was in no mood to argue. That meant cutting down on caffeine for some reason and a more holistic diet meant coffee with specially ground beans would be the norm, only allowed in the morning.

Kara listened as usual but her thoughts were everywhere. She was thinking of Barry, thinking of the offer she had from Evans, wondering if anyone else knew who she was or had been and never said anything. She had no intention of talking tonight, only listening and remembering that despite not being able to get drunk or high, she desperately wanted to. Meetings did this to her often, made her think of alcohol, and drove her crazy with want. Perhaps that was the point. Avoidance was not an acceptable technique in the real world so maybe facing the challenge head on and eventually becoming desensitized in a manner of speaking to the larger issue somehow was the answer.

After the hour long meeting, she walked outside only to hear her name called. She froze, not sure who knew her well enough in this group to even know her name.

Turning she saw a man, perhaps her age, slightly taller than her and muscular with tan skin and close cut dark hair.

"Yes?"

"Kara, right? I like the darker hair. Was this always your natural color or did you color it?"

The girl shook her head, confused.

"I'm sorry, but how do we know each other?"

The man smiled. "We were in choir together for five years."

Kara looked closely at him. Something was familiar in his eyes but she was never one for looking at people too long.

"Jake?" she guessed, shocked at his appearance.

"You do remember." he told her, excitedly and wrapped the stiff girl into a hug.

Kara really took him in. Jake had worn glasses like she did. He had been thin, not athletic, his curly hair was always a mess, but he did have a beautiful voice and was always nice to her.

"You look...different."

The man laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Marines. I joined out of high school. I never thought I would make it through boot camp but I managed. Guess you could say I picked up some confidence, along with some bad habits, as you can guess by my presence. Are you living in Midvale? I heard you moved to National City?"

Kara smiled, still not quite believing it was him...or that he was here of all places.

"Yeah..." she answered, remembering his question. "I...me and Alex... we built a house near my parents. They moved back too. I guess you could say we are here for good. What about you? You left the Marines I guess. What are you doing back in Midvale?"

The man took a deep breath. "Like I said, saw some bad things, had enough. I left the desert but it didn't leave me so I tried to drown it out. Never quite works though, does it?"

Kara snorted, thinking about how many problems she had tried to drown out, only to find herself at the bottom of an ocean with the problems still there.

"Anyway," he continued, "I guess I had enough. My Dad came looking for me in Metropolis when I didn't answer my phone for a couple days. He found me in a hospital I had been in for two days. I had some fractured ribs and a pretty bad concussion and still have no idea how I got there, just that I was very drunk. He dragged me to rehab, had me sectioned and... anyway, he brought me here, home. Its a good place to start rebuilding, from the beginning, you know?"

Kara did know, only this wasn't a starting place, this was the end for her. This was home. Despite the people who talked about her in school, she loved the little town.

"So, are you a regular at these meetings? I just started myself. Been sober for three months, but just got out of rehab. What about you?"

"About six months once I left rehab. It's been...difficult but...you know." Kara admitted.

Jake did know.

"Kara!" she heard her Dad's voice from the car, calling to her.

"Is that your Dad?"

Kara's face turned red. "Yeah, he gave me a ride because...my bike is in the shop." not mentioning that she still got rides because they didn't trust her not to leave.

"Kara. We have that thing to do and bedtime is in three hours. Let's go." Jeremiah practically shouted. Kara was grateful he didn't honk the horn.

"Bed time?" Jake asked with a knowing grin.

The girl shrugged her shoulders, not thinking of any graceful explanation for that.

"Hey, I was thinking of taking a trip to Metropolis this weekend. Its a long drive but I could use some company. They are dedicating that monument to Supergirl in downtown, where she fought that monster. I had a friend who was able to get out of there because she kept that thing distracted. Plus, I guess...I don't know. I feel like I should be there. She is one of us, you know? Maybe Alex can come too? I don't have any friends here and my ex and I split when I went to rehab...so...its been kind of lonely."

Warning bells went off in Kara's head. This was the last thing she needed. She could already hear Leslie calling her an idiot and feel the water she had no doubt the woman would throw on her.

"I don't think that's a good idea." she told him. Neither going with him or going back there...seemed like a good idea.

Jake must have understood by the look on her face. "Look, I'm not trying to pick you up. You aren't my type and by that, I mean you aren't a guy. I really could use some friends. If you and Alex decide you want to go let me know Thursday. I'll be here. I'll even drive Saturday. It's a six hour trip and if I leave at 6 AM it is going to be a lonely trip. Think about it. See you later."

"I will." she assured him.

Kara did not speak on the way home, despite Jeremiah's awkward attempts at starting small talk.

She did not speak, while the family gathered in the living room with Jessica.

When Jessica asked who would like to begin, Kara's hand shot up so quickly one would think she still had her powers.

"Wow." Jessica said, surprised. Kara never started meetings. Of course if she was this motivated, things had gone very wrong with something. "Looks like Kara has something..."

"I have a few things actually. I would like to address the first to my father."

Jess barely heard him mumble a curse word and look away.

"I was talking to someone, an old friend I went to school with since I first came to Midvale, one I spent five years with in choir with. While I was trying to have a short conversation, my father was yelling from the parking lot that I needed to hurry up, because my bedtime was in three hours!"

"Kara. stay calm." Eliza whispered.

"I am calm. I get that I am treated like I am 15 instead of 25 because of my actions the past few years but I am doing my best and would appreciate not being called out in public. It was embarrassing."

Jeremiah rubbed his forehead. He had known he had screwed up after he had honked the horn and saw the look on Kara's face but hoped maybe she would let it slide.

"Jeremiah, would you like to explain to us why you did this?"

"We were in a hurry to get home for this meeting?" he answered, though it sounded like more of a question.

The ones in the room continued staring at him, obviously wanting the truth.

"Fine," he gave in, "you broke up with Barry not long ago and the last thing you need is to become involved with a man who has the same problems you do. That is bad for recovery, right Jessica? Tell her I am right. Please tell her I am right."

"He asked me to go to Metropolis this weekend for the unveiling of that stupid statue in downtown. I was going to turn him down because I knew this. Then he told me he was gay! He was looking for a friend and there aren't many of us who understand what we have to live with."

"He's gay?" Jeremiah asked. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"It shouldn't have mattered." Kara told him, keeping her voice calm. Clark sped into the kitchen and came back in a second with a bag of chips, obviously enjoying this. "Maybe he could have been asking me on a date. Maybe I turned him down, or maybe I didn't. Either way, it was something we could have talked about at home, instead of you jumping to conclusions and calling me loudly from the car."

The man dropped his head. "Yeah, you are right. I'm sorry." he told her, genuine remorse in his voice. At the time, he saw Kara talking to a handsome guy and his mind drifted to the stunt she tried to pull with Curry less than two days after her and Barry's argument. He panicked and didn't realize the mistake until he experienced Kara's silence on the way home.

"Okay." Jessica said, relieved that the man just apologized instead of rationalizing his actions.

"I accept." Kara told him and seemed to be sincere.

"Okay, so we..."

"I'm not done." Kara told her and turned to Clark who was very nervous considering the look on her face. "Kelex was watching Barry today without anyone's permission because he missed him apparently. Before I could tell him to stop a fight broke out between Curry and Barry. A real fight. Do you know why, Clark?"

The boy shrugged his shoulder and looked towards Alex, his Mom or Dad, anyone that could get him from under Kara's withering gaze.

"Fish guy told him you two went on a date?" he hoped.

Kara shook her head. "Fish guy didn't tell him anything. You did. You have been gaming with him after our parents go to sleep and telling him what I have been doing. You don't have the right to tell anyone outside this family about any of us, do you?"

Eliza groaned. "Clark, please tell me this is a misunderstanding."

Clark's silence spoke volumes.

"You are grounded from video games until I say differently. Kelex will be cutting off any wireless signals you attempt to connect to and informing us. That was crossing a line, young man. Kara's life or any of ours is not to be discussed with outsiders. Do you understand this?"

Clark did. He knew he was probably taking things too far but like Kelex, he missed Barry.

"I'm sorry, Kara. It won't happen again.""

Kara's face softened, recognizing that her brother meant it. She knew his voice, when he was being sarcastic and when he was being genuine. He appeared to be genuinely regretful now.

Jess let out a breath and tried to calm her heart rate. Kara had not lost it yet. This was good.

"Anything else, Kara?"

The blonde thought for a moment and then shook her head.

Alex spoke next. "So Jake is gay? I thought I was the only one in Midvale. Weird. Dad, why would you even worry about it? He is a huge nerd, bigger than the one Kara pretended to be. We are talking about Jake, right? Braces, thick glasses, shaggy hair, this as a weed?"

"Marines." Kara told her sister. "He wasn't discharged long ago from what little conversation we had. He does not look like a nerd now. That was all I was able to get before Dad dragged me away. He asked if we would like to go to Metropolis this Saturday for that dedication of the downtown construction and that stupid monument they want to set a park around. I told him I would ask you but we both know, there is no way we are going. I never want to see that place again."

Jessica was surprised by that. The idea of going back was something she never considered.

"Maybe you should talk to Leslie about that." Ryan suggested.

"About what?" the girl asked.

Jess shrugged her shoulders and looked at the parents.

"Maybe it would be good for all of you to face it and put it behind you. You were all affected that day, not just Kara. I'm not sure if it is too soon. That's between Leslie and Kara, but I don't think it would be a bad idea for the rest of you."

No one said anything for a moment, even Clark. There were only a few times he had been frightened so much he could hardly think in his life. One was the day that Astra nearly killed him and his parents, then watching Kara nearly die. Another was the day, his father picked him up from school and told him gently that Kara had hurt herself badly and rushed him to the DEO so they could be together. He heard enough from the whispers of agents and the doctors that she had tried to kill herself and wasn't expected to live.

The last time was recent, stuck in the Fortress at the bottom of the world, the transporters all closed and the headquarters doused in red rays to keep him from escaping to help Kara. He watched that fight from the S.T.A.R. Labs satellite and for the first time saw Kara battle a creature he knew in his gut that she couldn't beat. That place undid all the hard work the family had done since Kara had been committed, nearly killed Alex, J'onn, even Lobo.

He wasn't sure he ever wanted to visit that place.

But if his family wanted to, he would be there, he would always be there.

And he hoped Kara's therapist would tell her it's a bad idea.

Eliza was the next to bring up an elephant in the room. "Kare, have you given any thought to the offer Miss Evans made? Perhaps at least signing up for classes?"

Kara had given it thought, a lot of thought. "Yes and I won't be doing them. I realize I would be paying for them and its not a contract with the school but I would be taking someone else's spot who plans to be a teacher."

Jeremiah watched her closely, recognizing that defeated tone. "Is it because you aren't interested, or you think its something you don't want to do?" he asked carefully.

The girl smiled and shook her head. "How can I be trusted around children, if my own family doesn't trust leaving me at home alone all day? I can put those bands on myself, Kelex can monitor my brain waves and one of you can go over the numbers in the evening, but that doesn't matter. I go therapy, I even got a warlock or something to dampen this ring, but I still am not trusted to go to AA by myself. Despite this ring happening, I have not had a drink since before I was taken to the Block though I have had plenty of opportunities. I haven't hurt myself, but I know I am still checked every time one of you looks at me. When is going to be over? Its been six months. What have I done not to be trusted alone for more than a few hours a day?"

"You tried to kill yourself to make Kelex take that crystal out of you." the father reminded her.

"That was not a suicide attempt. That was me knowing what I had to do and getting him to do it the only way possible."

"And you shouldn't have done it." the man told her, keeping his voice quiet and calm.

"You would prefer it have gotten to Midvale after all of Gotham and Metropolis were destroyed? After he had taken out J'onn, his entire team, Lobo, the military? No weapon was going to stop that thing. Alex and I discussed this at a rather inconvenient time the other night and I am upset that she became involved, and I am tired of pretending I am not. Has anyone told her she shouldn't have been there? She came close to death, as close as one can get. But I made a bad decision, when we all knew I had no choice?"

Kara's voice remained calm, not argumentative, which Jess was grateful for but the woman knew that could end at any time.

"You went toe to toe with that thing like you had a death wish, despite knowing you couldn't beat it that way." Alex pointed out. "So yeah, if you were going to fight, the only way you could win was if he was distracted. J'onn was down, Lobo was down, even your Reds were down. I was the only distraction you had left. I was going to be there. I always have been, so deal with it."

Kara looked at her parent's opening her hands, expecting them to say anything. As usual, they seemed fine that Alex risked her life to fight the monster while she felt she was blamed for it.

"How much do you have to give up for this world, until it will be enough?" Eliza asked finally, the sadness in her voice evident. "How much pain is my little girl going to put herself through before you realize it isn't on you to fight this planet's battles? How much longer are you going to punish yourself?"

Kara took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling, hating seeing the look on Eliza's face that she had come to know well. It wasn't anger or judgment but pain, and hurt, mixed with a deep love.

"Zor El made that thing." she said in almost a whisper. "Krypton had destroyed enough. I was the only one who stood a small chance. I'm sorry, but I would do it again. If Clark or Alex or Dad had been caught in downtown Metropolis, you would have wanted me there too."

Eliza agreed. "Yes, I would. I would have wanted you there to get us all far away, not take a beating. My family comes first before the world. You always will."

No one else had anything to say, so Jessica called and end to the session for the night, asking Kara to talk about Saturday with Leslie and the rest of the family to think of it as well.

 **Central City**

Barry sat in his apartment, exhausted. He had spent more time on the treadmill and on the streets of various cities, running and turning as quickly as possible. He still hadn't made it to Gotham in five minutes or less but he had broken the six minute barrier right after work. After a weight lifting session he had come home and barely had the energy to down the massive amount of pasta in front of him.

All the man wanted to do was collapse in bed and it was only nine PM.

His fatigue was forgotten when he received the text from Cisco.

An explosion had occurred in an apartment building in the worst part of Central City. Barry knew the building. A lot of low income families lived in it. He also knew the police had been investigating some tenants for having a possible methamphetamine lab on the second floor. They had hoped to get a warrant tomorrow.

Either the lab exploded or a separate fire was about to cause the lab to explode.

Barry ran so fast he was in front of the building in a second.

It was so horrible, it caused him to pause. Six stories, and he was sure many had been crushed and dropped to the second. The entire building was engulfed.

"Cisco set me body temp." he told his friend, referring to his suit. Cisco did and also dropped the polymer hard breather over Barry's mouth.

The Flash moved into the building to find it a mountain of debris on the first. Moving outside again he then ran through the debris moving up the long fire escape at the end.

Despite moving in and out of the small apartments that were barely standing, he could find no one.

No one alive. Burnt bodies, mangled bodies lay everywhere until sections of the floor gave out and dropped them to the ground floor. The Flash thought he heard a child cry above him and moved quickly through the flames.

He had heard a child cry but it was too late.

Besides that cry, he heard nothing but crumbling concrete, brick and fire.

"Cis...Cisco, use my sonar. Listen for heartbeats, anything. Tell me where the survivors are. I can't find them, I can't hear them."

Cisco said nothing for a moment while Barry checked floor after floor, zig zagging, jumping over falling debris, using it to climb onto the next floor. During his run he saw so many bodies, so many children. He recognized the remains of the meth lab that must have ignited the blast.

"Barry, no one is alive. That explosion, the force of it, those people never had a chance man. Come back to S.T.A.R."

The man refused to believe that. He had been here, suited up and eight miles away in a second. He knew he had. The bricks were still falling in the streets when he arrived.

Instead of leaving, he began making vortexes with his arms, trying to douse the blazes. Eventually he figured out that this fire would not be blown away. It was too late.

Everyone, men, women and children, were all gone, burnt or torn to pieces. The explosion had been catastrophic and happened so fast nobody, not even him, could have done anything.

The Fire Department arrived on scene, at first happy that the Flash was there, expecting surviving victims to be ran out quickly. That excitement died quickly when they realized the man was walking, not running over the debris pile, through the flames that licked around him but never caught him on fire, and reached the street blockade.

Barry made his way to the Chief, a man he had met on more than a few occasions. Retracting the breathing miraculously into this mask, a trick Cisco had yet to figure out, he stood before the man, defeated.

"They're all dead. Everyone." Barry told him quietly.

The man already knew this. The blast was catastrophic and immediate. Those people never stood a chance.

"We need to evacuate the streets. Was it a meth lab?"

The Flash nodded his head. "The chemical cloud, I doubt there will be one. It's too hot for those gases to have escaped. I'm sorry."

The Chief patted the Flash on the shoulder. "Nothing to be done. Not even you could have saved those people. You did the best you could."

Barry knew this in his head. He understood that he couldn't save them. Nobody would have had that much time. Even if death hadn't been immediate, even if he had five seconds, the man would have snapped their necks trying to get them all out. There were hundreds of people, families in this run down complex. He had moved people at incredible speeds before without harming them, but never as quickly as he would have had to start and stop in such a short distance around debris.

Barry had faced the one situation he could not beat.

The man prepared to run back to S.T.A.R., for what, he wasn't sure. There was nothing he could do there. He knew what happened, he knew the body count and he had no bad guy to chase. They were all dead in the building. In the morning he would be on scene, sifting though the wreckage after the fire burned down. As a CSI he would once again see the remains.

Walking down the block instead of running, he wasn't surprised to see a large, sleek black car, low to the ground. The passenger side door lifted up and Barry slid inside. Batman drove off without a word.

The two had reached the outside of city limits before he pulled over.

"Do you see now?" Bruce asked.

"See what? That I couldn't do anything, no matter how fast I get?"

"Do you see now? Do you understand? When Kara was 17, she saved a lot of people in a children's hospital. It was the ones that didn't make it that haunted her dreams, that she talked to me the most about. You have known loss, seen horrible things, but this was the first time you couldn't save children, wasn't it?"

Barry pulled off his mask and lay his head back on the seat, not knowing what to say.

"Diana saw the bodies of innocents in the Great War. J'onn saw his wife and child die, all the children of his species. I have seen children murdered, murdered by people, humans I let live by my code. I use Kara as an excuse to kill Aliens and she stayed away from humans for me, but I am no fool. I know what killing those murderers would have done. It would have ended them, saved more lives. I could never bring myself to do it though. Every victim of a criminal I could have put down permanently haunts my sleep. Curry and Stewart have ever been in that situation. Tonight you were. You probably thought there was nothing worse that could happen after seeing your mother and father die in front of you. Tonight you learned that wasn't true. This is the life we chose Barry. Its hard, and it will haunt you, forever. I can't offer you advice on how to deal with it. I push it to the back of my mind, Kara drank and used drugs, tried to kill herself. Alex and Dick keep it bottled inside, tucked away in a corner that will be so full one day they will all escape at once. Diana withdrew from the world. J'onn does his best not to sleep at night. One day this will become very real for Stewart and Curry. Nobody gets out of this world unscarred. No one can save everyone."

Barry closed his eyes, feeling tears coming and not wanting to cry in front of the man.

"How should I deal with it? I've seen dead bodies before in my job, it seems like I see them every week. But tonight, I thought I could stop it, save at least one. It was different tonight. I wasn't seeing them the day after. I saw them seconds after they were already dead. How do I deal with it, Bruce?"

The man shook his head. "That is something you have to figure out for yourself. It's different for all of us I suppose. If you want to keep doing this, it won't be the last time you feel this way."

The Flash looked out the window, seeing nothing in the dark, starless night.

"Kara...Kara and Alex, they were too young for this."

Batman let out a deep breath.

"Barry, we are all too young for this. We are all going Saturday to the dedication in Metropolis on Saturday, out of costume of course. I would like you to be there with us."

The man nodded his head. When he had arrived at the scene of the attack, Kara had already turned into a Red Lantern. They had all been too late. He didn't want to go back to that place, ever.

But the world owed it to her and her sister. He would be there.

"I'll meet you there." he agreed and stepped out of the car, running for home and sleep that he knew would be haunted tonight.


	42. Chapter 42

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 42 weekend plans**

"You people cannot be this stupid, can you?"

The Danvers looked around the room at each other, not quite sure how to answer Leslie's question. Kara had met her at her home for her usual appointment and asked about going to the ceremony on Saturday. Leslie had not answered her but instead told Kara to follow and walked the ten minute path to Jeremiah and Eliza's home. She sat with Eliza and Clark in the living room, waiting for Jeremiah and Alex to make it back from the lab. Once the family had gathered in the living room, that was the first question she asked.

Kara cleared her throat and took a shot, used to Leslie's straight forward questions and wanting to spare her family whatever wrath the woman had in mind.

"No?" she asked quietly.

"Whose idea was it for you all to consider going to this damn statue thing on Saturday?" she followed up.

"Jess...Jessica brought it up. I told you..."

"For once I was hoping you were lying." Leslie interrupted the blonde. "Its becoming clear that I need to talk to Dr. Ryan about what is said in these family sessions. The idea was to open up communications between the family members, not to give out suggestions that could be emotionally catastrophic to all of you."

Jeremiah slightly raised his hand, wanting to defend Jessica. "She suggested Kara talk to you first. There is no reason to be mean about it."

"Mean? You think I have gotten her as far as I have because of my charming personality? Ryan should have known better. It has been less than a month since one of the most traumatic events that has ever affected this family occurred. Without talking to me about it, your two girls went into some sort of hell dimension and fought alien zombies in some exorcism to quiet that bomb on her finger. Its quiet now, she has come to accept living with this thing, is wearing a red bracelet constantly and is doing better over the last three days. You five now want to go to the one place that can cause her, Alex and Eliza to have a panic attack? Not only the place but surrounded by thousands of people, cheering a hero she is trying to move past. How can anyone think this is a good idea?"

Alex shook her head. "I wouldn't have a panic attack."

"So you don't have nightmares about your little jet exploding?" Thompkins asked. "Seeing your sister beaten to death? Knowing that you are probably going to die, trying to guide that little escape pod for a crash landing in the middle of a war zone? Waking up, not sure where you were, but seeing Kara standing in front of you, unrecognizable, who had no idea where she was or what she was doing besides protecting you? You seriously have no problem with that? If you had another one of those jets you would be too nervous to fly. Stop acting invincible. You are a person and people who have that kind of trauma occur are affected by it, even you Alex."

Hearing no denial, she continued. "Eliza? You had a panic attack watching the fight from a satellite. You just saw Kara bleed and you were unconscious by the time Alex crashed and Kara really got beaten to a pulp. That was a few weeks ago. Feel like checking the place out? Jeremiah, how did it feel to be stuck at the bottom of the world, watching your two daughters in a fight you knew they couldn't win? Clark, how did it feel to see your two sisters who you look up to nearly die? Are you good with going there?"

Clark shook his head. "No, I'm not. I don't want to go." That surprised the family as Clark had said nothing about it before.

"Why didn't you say anything Clark?" his mother asked.

The little boy shrugged his shoulders. "I was going to be there if everyone wanted to go but I don't want to go."

"You shouldn't be afraid to speak up." Kara told him gently, taking his hand. "Truthfully, the idea of being there terrorizes me. More and more memories have come back. I still jump around loud noises." the blonde admitted, leaving out the times she sees something from the corner of her eye and thinks its Doomsday's fist coming for her.

Leslie relaxed a bit, glad to see not everyone was sold on this idea.

"In the short time since this happened and Kara took that ring, turned into a rage monster and disintegrated that thing, lets look at what has occurred." she suggested, calmer now. "Her and Alex visited a planet that resembled a biblical hell. She broke up with her boyfriend in a nearly violent manner, she has slaughtered White Martians, found the remains of her home planet, and underwent some voodoo ritual with an English warlock or witch who probably could have given her a contact high, to face the demons that live on her finger. If you all want to go, I won't stop you. I couldn't. I would get Bruce to stop you. If you want to see this statue unveiling watch it on TV but my recommendation is to ignore it completely. When I think she is ready and by extension all of you, I will let you know and maybe whoever wants to go can go one day, when it isn't crowded and so fresh. But for now, relax. I am telling you not to. I am also going to be coordinating with Ryan on what is and is not discussed in these family counseling sessions. I may even sit in on them if I have time."

Leslie took a look around the room and saw where Kara got it from.

"Would you please all look at me? I promise to do the same when you are speaking."

All of them hesitantly looked her way.

"We all on the same page?"

The family agreed and Leslie stood up, motioning to Kara to follow her back to the cliff house.

Once they were back in the house, Kara followed the woman upstairs. Leslie had no problem acting as if Kara's home and especially her fridge were her own.

"I have a chopper to catch in two hours in Raleigh. That little foray cost us time so let's get started. Who is this guy who you met at AA?"

"Jake, an old classmate." she spouted out. Kara had learned it was a waste of time lying to Leslie so answered quickly now.

"He is your friend? I thought you didn't have friends in high school?"

"I didn't." the blonde admitted. "He was just a guy I was in choir with."

Leslie was happy with that, at least Kara thought, reading the woman's face.

"Good, you can be his friend...at meetings. You need to keep working on you. Meetings are for sharing experiences and supporting each other. There is a reason I don't have you go to meetings every day now. You have more to work on. You have a family, good support structure, and need private time to process everything. You don't need to share experiences with anyone outside of group yet. It would be too easy to focus on his problems instead of your own. Have you had any nightmares?"

"No. The band puts me into a deep sleep. If I have them, I don't remember them."

"Any symptoms of your PTSD?"

Kara nodded her head. "The other day, Streaky jumped down from the book case to the floor. I saw her out of the corner of my eye and nearly had a heart attack...or whatever I have for a heart now. I thought I was being attacked for a second. I even turned and went into a fighting stance, expecting an attack. Thankfully no one saw me. It would have been embarrassing."

Leslie shook her head slightly. "Embarrassing? Nothing to be embarrassed about. If I had been hit as many times as you had, I doubt I would leave my house. Don't be embarrassed, ever. You are going to be jumpy for a while. You have to stop thinking that you are above normal symptoms. You aren't. Understand?"

Kara agreed quickly. "Yes, I understand."

"Its okay to be vulnerable. We talked about this. You don't have to put on an act anymore, dress like someone you think is always supposed to be strong and never shows weakness. You told me you prayed for the remains of Krypton and its dead. How long had it been since you prayed?"

Kara nearly laughed, not even remembering. She had been very young, before she landed on Earth. She still wasn't sure why she did it. The blonde just felt her people deserved it, even if she didn't believe in the sun god any longer.

"I have no idea. It just seemed the right thing to do. I can't tell you why or if it mattered. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing."

Leslie could understand that. She even suspected Kara would do it when she realized she could go anywhere in the universe with a thought. The draw would have always been there. Perhaps now she had gotten over it.

"How did you feel about seeing Krypton in pieces? I want the truth so give it some thought." the woman ordered.

Kara closed her eyes and did think, reflecting on the sights, her feelings, the silence of space, the cold. She was truly grateful she didn't see any bodies or parts of bodies in space, frozen forever, floating and lost in orbit around Rao. It all felt...empty. It felt like the universe had forgotten the life that was once there.

"I felt sad. Very, very sad. I didn't cry. I just felt...it was wrong. There was life there and now its just a large asteroid belt. Even with the problems Daxam and Krypton had, it broke my heart to see that planet scoured of all life. It was wrong. Everything there felt wrong. I thought I would be angry but instead I just felt sad. I don't know another word to describe it."

Leslie understood. She genuinely had no idea what Kara would have felt or what she would have felt if it was Earth.

Sad was a simple word but an honest and strong emotion, one that could be healthy but also one that could plunge someone into a deep depression, especially with Kara's issues.

"Have you been thinking about it often?"

"Not often. I've been kind of busy. Going to meetings and having my brain waves manipulated, raiding the lair of the League of Shadows, little things like that..."

Leslie nodded, satisfied. Kara telling the truth was a win and she had been winning more and more...

"You raided what?" the woman asked quietly.

Kara had hoped to slip that past her. It hadn't work. Thompkins mind was a steel trap.

"I can explain. It really wasn't a big deal. Its how I found the name of the Warlock. I had to get my friend Nyssa out and...nobody died. I didn't even fight anyone...I just sent Talia to a moon... but it was habitable! Kind of. I mean she could breathe and...this sucks for me, doesn't it?"

Leslie reached into her blue jean pocket and pulled out a bottle of Ibuprofen. It was something she always carried when having a session with Kara. The doctor thought she knew about all of Kara's recent actions. So of course that wasn't the case.

"Tell me everything."

Ten minutes later, she had been filled in on the holes that led to this Warlock being found. The woman had only been told by Jessica that an exorcism at the site of Kara's former suicide attempt had been performed and it helped her control the ring. She assumed this guy was just someone Kara knew from her many adventures.

She was also furious at Veritas and her idiotic plan. Her, Bruce and the genius doctor would be having a talk. One good thing had come from this though.

"I'm glad you went with the black magic ritual instead of Veritas's plan. I never thought I would say that to a patient." the woman admitted. "So tell me, did you think of taking her offer?"

Kara shook her head quickly. Too quickly.

"Do I have to say it?" Leslie asked.

"The truth." Kara told her, sounding a bit defeated. "Yes, I thought about it for about ten seconds before dismissing the idea."

"Why? Why did you dismiss it?"

At least it was an easy question for Kara to answer.

"Because I don't want to die. I ran the numbers in my head. It didn't take long. Statistically speaking, there was practically a zero percent chance that it would have worked. There were too many unknowns and I really didn't want to burn up and be rebuilt even in the best case scenario. That sounds like it could hurt and to be honest, I am tired of pain."

Leslie actually smiled. The woman had been worried about these bands Alex had developed. Medications were enough of an unknown. Directly affecting someone's brain waves was in her opinion, dangerous. She worried about Kara developing greater depression, hallucinations and in the worst case, suicidal thoughts and attempts. That didn't appear to be the case.

At least for now. The Danvers were playing with alien technology, doing the best they could but testing on a live subject and hoping it worked. Leslie didn't doubt them, agreed Kara needed the effects of her old meds, but she still worried. No matter how brilliant the Danvers and Kara herself may have been, it was always a risk.

"That's good. I'm tired of you being in pain too. We meet next Monday."

"Tuesday." Kara quickly told her. "Clark has a game Monday out of town."

Leslie let out a deep breath. "Fine. I'm retiring anyway so I have time."

Kara picked up on that immediately and a huge grin graced her face. "You're retiring? Does that mean I get a new therapist? Can I pick my own? Can I have a nice one? Wait, are you dying?"

The doctor shook her head. "You wish. You are my retirement plan from Wayne Enterprises. Bruce pays me an obscene amount of money to keep you sane. If I can make you as pleasant as your face, I will be the greatest shrink in history. You are my legacy, girl, my Everest. Don't count on me dying either. I'm living to 102 then dying. Like the city of Detroit. See you Tuesday."

Kara sat still and watched her leave in silence. A few moments later Alex came into the room.

"I see what you are talking about. She is a bitch." Alex muttered. "You okay?"

Kara blinked and focused on Alex. "I am pretty sure she just quoted Deadpool." the girl told her sister in disbelief.

Alex shrugged her shoulders. "That would explain it. Her Dad left before she was conceived. So, Mom and Dad are bringing the brat over for dinner. I have the oven preheating, pizzas in the fridge. Dad says we are spending the weekend in Cancun."

Kara stood up, wondering if she could get away with eating corndogs as well. She had the weirdest cravings since her appetite had returned as the bands had been adjusted.

"Sounds good...did you say Cancun?"

Alex smiled. "Big time. He is arranging it now. We go to the airport tomorrow night after your meeting and don't come back till Sunday night. If we are going to ignore this damn ceremony, we are doing it in style."

Kara liked the idea. She had flown over Mexico many times but never Cancun and certainly never stopped. The idea of going to new places in the past made her nervous.

She wasn't sure what she felt now. It would do her some good to get away. Perhaps breaking out of her shell and soaking up some sun naturally may be good for her. It wouldn't make her forget her problems or the damn ring on her finger but it could be...fun.

Kara had not had fun that didn't involve superhero business or superheroes in a very long time. The idea was appealing. Summer would end soon, Clark would be back in school and she would...what? Continue to work on herself she supposed. Continue the portrait she had started of Clark, maybe start playing her guitar again? It had been over a year since she even picked it up besides moving it to her new house.

"So...what do you think? You up for a trip? If not, I can tell him its a bad idea." Alex said, hoping Kara would agree with this. She desperately needed to get away and suspected her little sister could use a break.

"Yeah, I am actually. I want to." the girl admitted, sounding surprised at herself.

"Yes! Okay, time to get the pizzas in the oven. Come help me."

"No, not yet." Kara told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Alex hesitantly turned back to her little sister, having an idea what this was about.

"What's been going on, Alex? How bad is it? You don't want me to ever lie to you. Tell me the truth."

Alex moved around Kara and sat on the end of the girl's bed. The nice thing about Kara's deep sleep and sharing a different room was her little sister didn't hear Alex at night or notice the times she couldn't sleep. She didn't know about the times Alex would jump at the lab whenever something was dropped. Her hands never shook at least and she was grateful for that. Alex desperately wanted to get back into the air, to prove to herself that she wasn't afraid but a large part of her was. Leslie had seen through her. She held it together at Talia's but the events of fight in Metropolis weighed on her mind.

Kara sat down next to her and tilted her older sister's chin up, looking in her eyes. To her great surprise, Alex had tears streaking down her cheeks.

"It's not great." the brunette admitted. "I guess I need stronger sedatives. I can't sleep without them and they won't stop the dreams, the nightmares. I see that thing everywhere. I jump at everything, my reflexes...nothing feels right. I'm trying to be strong but everything...everything is getting to me, you know? Even at Talia's fortress I kept expecting to see that thing jumping out of some secret dungeon."

Kara pulled her into her arms and Alex lay her head on her shoulder.

"Are you taking any anxiety meds?"

"Not really. I don't want my mind...no. Just sedatives at night. I know I am going to have to start soon. It isn't getting better. I thought maybe if we faced it I could get over it but I'm scared. I'm scared to go back there and I am scared of anything else happening. I'm tired of seeing that thing everywhere. We have seen a lot of stuff, Kara, but..."

"Yeah." she agreed. Out of all the enemies the two had ever faced together, nothing compared to Doomsday. Both girls knew it could exist from the archives at the Fortress but neither really believed it or thought there was a chance it would ever be brought to Earth. Neither of them wanted to think about it. "I know, Alex."

"Then there are those other Worldkillers he made. The four of them are nightmares and we don't even know what the first one Zor El made is. It could be anything, a living disease, a cloud of antimatter, who knows? What are we going to do if they show up? If Brainiac shows up?"

Kara began rubbing her back as Alex's speech quickened.

"We have a plan for Brainiac and as far as the rest, others can handle it, I promise. Bruce has all the information we have on them, on all the threats we know of."

Alex shook her head. "How did we miss an entire Corps of so called universal peacekeepers?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "No alien really talked about them. I suspect most didn't know because they stayed hidden. Doesn't matter. Its not our problem anymore. Mom is right, we have given enough. Its time for us to worry about each other, nothing else, okay? Until you can get on the right meds, I am going to sleep with you at night. If you see or hear something you don't like wake me. Throw water on me if you have to. I'm going to be there."

Alex grabbed her hand and leaned into her, nearly rolling them back onto the bed. She still had a difficult time remembering Kara was movable now, as her sister used to be like a large breathing boulder that could be leaned against and never gave.

"Let's clean your face and start dinner." Kara suggested. "I want to see this beach bungalow Dad wants us in. No doubt it will be secluded, which is just what we need."

 **Metropolis**

Barry stood next to Bruce and J'onn surrounded by thousands of people. The number probably topped twenty thousand easily. He had hoped in the back of his mind that he might run into Kara or one of the Danvers today.

Being here he understood that even if they were, he had no chance of bumping into them. He also hoped Kara wasn't here. She hated large crowds and this was the largest he had ever been a part of.

Diana walked up to them, the crowd almost magically parting for her as usual. Even in civilian luxury clothes the woman had a royal aura around her.

"According to Jack Webb, the only snipers around are the Secret Service. The ground is clear and the President should be on her way to the stage any minute." she informed them.

Barry wondered if the President planned to fly to the stage. The mass of people was starting to bother him. He looked around as best he could and wasn't surprised by what he saw. The downtown area was barely recovering, debris still being cleared away, the occasional body still found. Construction couldn't start for a few more months but the one project every government official in Metropolis and the United States placed a priority on was the one honoring Supergirl. The downtown would be rebuilt around the monument, a giant, two story tall sculpture of the symbol of the House of El and it stood in the exact spot Lex Corp's headquarters had once been. Barry couldn't help but think it was a fitting tombstone for Lex.

The man briefly thought of Lena. He had met her only once but Kara told stories of their adventures often. The two girls had been very close and he knew Lena was close to her brother and father and hated her mother. Since the time he had met her, she had lost her best friend and didn't even remember it, her father had died or been murdered depending on who was asked and her brother was dead and villainized by the world. The only family she had left was her adopted mother who was number one on the FBI and Interpol's most wanted list.

So where was Lena now? Nothing had been said about her, the focus on Lillian and Lex, but she had no doubt gone into hiding, for her own protection. Kara used to speak so fondly of her, it was obvious the girl was not like the rest of her family. Now she had no one.

Shaking those depressing thoughts from his head, he did his best to keep his eye on the President. Being a pro alien President at a dedication ceremony honoring an alien who defeated another alien, was enough to bring political radicals from everywhere. The Secret Service was not happy that she had decided to speak in the middle of an open area, surrounded by thousands and large buildings and destroyed remains that would provide cover for snipers. If he heard a shot, he would have less than a second to get her out of the bullet's path. The four had moved as closely as they could, short of Diana and J'onn bowling people over. J'onn was looking quite intimidating today, taking the form of a very large Samoan man with long hair. It shouldn't be a problem if a stampede broke out.

Curry was nowhere to be found. Barry knew the man was near, probably near the stage in front of the monument or in the nearby harbor. Stewart was off somewhere with Lobo in deep space trying to find out information about wherever the sphere was from that now resided in the Hangar belonging to S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Excuse me, are you Wonder Woman?" an older female asked. Barry turned towards Diana with wide eyes. The woman never considered wearing a mask, telling him before that a secret identity was to protect loved ones and she had no loved ones that could be used against her. Despite her beauty, she was never bothered when she traveled into a city from Wayne Manor. It was simple. No one would believe that the Amazon who protected citizens from metas and aliens could be among them openly. It was crazy and Barry had no doubt that the more known she became the harder it would be to hide in plain sight but it worked for now. At least it had.

Diana simply smiled, not flustered in the least.

"No, I am definitely not Wonder Woman." she told her, irritated by the name Cat Grant had bestowed on her in the press. "But thank you for asking. I am humbled. She is a beautiful woman."

Diana seemed to find this amusing and winked at Barry.

"She is beautiful.," the woman agreed. "Perhaps if she would stop dressing like a tramp and put on actual clothes like Supergirl she could be a hero my daughter could look up to."

The lady pushed her way closer to the stage along with everyone else.

Barry couldn't help but enjoy the look on Diana's face.

"Shut up, Barry." she told him before he said a word.

"I could ask Cisco to make you a suit..."

Barry stopped talking when her elbow contacted his ribs. Diana was smiling though, so it must have not bothered her too much.

"I can ask Kara if she has any old leggings." Bruce commented, having heard the conversation. "Maybe a longer skirt? What about a cape?"

"Can we all focus and make sure no one is killed today, by me or anyone else?" the woman asked, the smile gone.

Thirty feet from the stage was as close as they were able to get.

Barry was pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of support for Kara. The blonde had told him often in the past when she still spoke to him that for every ten people thanking her there were at least a couple cursing her. One man had told her to go back to her planet after she had rescued his son from drowning. It was a wonder Kara helped humans as long as she had.

The President had arrived, people being pushed aside by a small army of Secret Service Agents. The Flash recognized Ty Gavin and Jack Webb among them. He had asked Dante if the man wanted to come with him and was turned down. Dante had hardly spoke or came S.T.A.R. Labs any longer except at times he worked with Caitlin on her powers.

Once Marsdin had reached the platform, the crowd quieted.

The President welcomed everyone, thanked them for coming, gave a typical politicians speech. She mentioned the aliens who had helped Supergirl take on the monster, and then spoke of the battle that had occurred and read the names of the dead.

It was nothing Barry hadn't expected.

She talked about the countless lives Kara had saved since announcing herself to the world. She talked about the cost of heroism, the sacrifice and pain, including the lives of young soldiers protecting their home. Marsdin told them what an inspiration Supergirl was to the world, the sacrifice's she had made and the effects. It made for a rousing campaign speech, ironic since the end of her second term was only two years away and the need for campaigning was done.

Barry didn't find himself invested in the speech. Instead he looked around, trying to imagine the battle as he heard it unfolded. It was said when Kara and Doomsday hit each other, windows shattered for dozens of blocks. Richter Scales in the area picked up measurements similar to small quakes. Had the battle been fought on a fault line the Earth very well would have been moved.

After the President left and thousands walked around the rubble, except those areas blocked off by police, the foursome made their way to Bruce's limo and traveled to the hotel Bruce had reserved and probably owned Barry realized.

Before they could watch news coverage, Dick Grayson walked in.

"Good evening everyone. Bruce on the balcony brooding yet?"

"Yes, I was just about to join him." Diana told the man, offering her hand. "Without the brooding. Good to see you."

Grayson patted Barry on the shoulder and motioned towards the kitchen. "Mind if I borrow you for a bit?"

The man followed Grayson into the kitchen, wondering what the hell this could be about and suspecting it wouldn't be good. Once they were alone, Grayson's good natured smile was gone and a look almost resembling pity covered his face.

"Well, your jaw and nose weren't shattered and I heard you didn't have any broken ribs, so you came out of it better than I did. How are you doing?"

Barry shouldn't have been surprised. "How did you hear?"

"Seriously?" Grayson asked. "There are only so many of us in the world who dress in spandex and wear masks most of the time. We are a small community. Word gets around."

Barry felt a bit of relief. "I thought she may have told you." he admitted, leaving out the part that he suspected she may have asked him to go for a swim.

Nightwing shook his head. "I haven't spoken to her since the Christmas party. I just wanted to make sure...okay, so I know you aren't doing well. Loving her is hell. I told you it wouldn't be easy."

The man chuckled. "The problem is loving her is too easy. Keeping her is the hard part."

"Yeah," Dick admitted, "she is beautiful, brave, funny and sarcastic, cruel and brutal. A perfect storm, I guess you could say. Cards on the table, I heard from Wally what happened, what caused it..."

Barry stopped him. "You know Wally?"

Dick seemed confused. "You didn't know? He has been working with me and some new friends...I guess kind of like...I thought you knew?"

The Flash shook his head, realizing outside of their work sessions the two hadn't talked about much lately.

"I haven't exactly been attentive to those around me recently." he admitted.

Dick could understand that. Kara and her world were easy to get lost in. It wasn't always a pleasant place but it was never boring. "Once I was ready to go against this metahuman who called herself Poison Ivy. She had murdered three people in one night and I had her tracked to an old printing building. I'm armed up, ready to go in, plan in place, then I blink. I feel a little wind and I'm on a rooftop six blocks away. Kara took her out then came back and told me Ivy was out of my league and to call her next time. It's kind of what she does. I could have handled it but she...she worries. She may not have been in love with me but we were friends at least. She has done this with the DEO and there were times she made plans for Alex with the intention of getting her away and taking out the enemy quickly before big sis could become involved. Don't let it get you down. You are good at what you do, but she is never going to believe that."

Barry shook his head and turned away from the man. "And you were okay with that?"

"Of course not. It pissed me off. What are you going to say though? You know the battles she has fought. Do you blame her for feeling everyone else is an amateur? She went through the rest of her kind. She has gone through the worst this world and any other world had to offer. We are human. Meta or not, we are human. Of course she isn't going to trust us to handle big threats. Bruce has fought Bane three times, every time he nearly gets killed. Kara has met the man twice, hit him twice and he is very lucky she was holding back. She is powerful Barry, more than you realize. She doesn't trust her friends to fight their own battles. She wants to win them all on her own."

"She trusts Bruce and Alex." Barry pointed out.

Dick couldn't disagree with that. "Alex doesn't give her a choice. She is the only one who can get away with that. Her and Bruce have this weird bond. I think they both have a death wish sometimes. Maybe not a death wish, they just are not scared to die in battle. They would prefer it, I think. If Bruce dies, she knew it wouldn't be on her. If anyone else died, she would feel responsible. All I'm saying is don't let it get you down. Wally has always looked up to her, hell most of the world has. His confidence took a shot when she told you he didn't know what he was doing. I had this same talk with him. Don't let her get in your head. We may not be indestructible fire laser beams from our eyes, lift mountains, or can fly but we know what we are doing. Keep it in mind. I'm hungry. Are you hungry? Room service time."

Barry followed the man out of the kitchen and sat on the couch, watching news coverage of the earlier event, than changing the channel. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the night lost in thought about her, not with Diana and Bruce around, who he swore could read his mind. Instead he ate, smiled, laughed with J'onn and Dick. He didn't wonder where the hell Arthur Curry was and certainly didn't wonder where Kara Danvers was.

 **Mexico**

Despite the sun having set, Kara and Alex remained in their bikinis their father hated, laid out on beach chairs gazing at the stars above. It was a clear night and though it was from a different vantage point, the stars seemed brighter.

"Not as clear as an Antarctic night sky but not bad either." Kara admitted. "I may not need the sedative band tonight. I am exhausted."

"That's good." Alex said, pleasantly surprised. "The new surroundings don't seem to bother you. Are you getting better at hiding it, or are you really feeling okay? Don't lie to me."

Kara put her arms behind her head and stretched out. "I actually feel great. Like, really, really good. The sunburn doesn't even bother me much. You are going to have to rub Aloe Vera on me when we go inside though."

The older sister was pleasantly surprised. "I thought you might cheat for tonight and take the ankle bracelet off."

Kara shook her head. "I'm living with this ring and this cuff and that's it. I'm done. My blood may be acid but the rest of me is going to be normal. I haven't felt like I need to use the ring to blow something up before I blow up. I have kept my cool, eaten what I need to eat and doing everything that has been asked of me. I'm not screwing this up. Besides, despite jumping at every loud noise and seeing monsters out of the corner of my eye, I feel great. Everything feels great."

Alex tensed a bit but tried to sound casual. "How great?"

Kara thought that was a strange question but answered regardless. "Extremely happy the past couple days, energetic...I don't know, I just feel really good. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Did you ever feel this good on the meds?" the brunette asked carefully, suspecting she would be going over brainwave scans and chemical indicators tonight before she got to sleep. She also knew Kara would not be having her final session with the band until they returned to the Fortress.

Kara thought about it. Her life with a crystal inside her felt so long ago. Getting the right combinations of medications was a battle, one that involved multiple side effects. Until this point, the only side effect she had recently was nausea, but that was going away as well.

"I guess not. You are officially better than Veritas. Not that I didn't know that before...you aren't happy. Why aren't you happy?"

Alex stared at the stars for the moment, wondering if she should be happy or not.

No, she shouldn't be happy.

"Because the meds are supposed to level you out, not push you to the other extreme. I get the jumpiness and unfortunately that is good. It shows a normal reaction. But feeling really, really good, isn't necessarily...good. We have had some wins since you took the ring but we have had some losses. You did just break up with your first real boyfriend and only the second guy you had sex with. You should be feeling a bit of sadness. Anyone would. What we are doing is delicate. You may jokingly refer to it as brainwashing but if I'm not careful it could easily become that."

"So you want me to feel worse?" Kara asked, a bit disbelieving.

"I want you to feel level. Your emotions should be natural, not forced. Have you had any suicidal thoughts? Any dizziness you haven't told me about? Hallucinations? Are you sure you are just jumpy or are you actually seeing things?"

"I'm fine." Kara practically growled. "I like feeling like this, okay?"

"That doesn't mean its healthy. Its fine, just let me know if you have any weird mood changes immediately. We aren't having another session tonight. I'm going to review the past week and recheck serotonin levels and we can start in the morning."

Kara frowned, not liking this idea at all. "I don't want to feel worse."

"And I don't want you too either. You need to feel normal. If you are in an overly good mood it could be giving you the same sensation as being high. Trust me, okay? I'm not going to make you feel horrible, but if your mood isn't stable, you could not care about some underlying issues which would undo the work in therapy and..."

"I get it." Kara snapped. "No more fun for Kara."

Alex reached over and tapped her on the forehead. "That isn't what I am saying brat. I will slap your burnt shoulders if you get an attitude. You know what we are trying to accomplish, don't you?"

"Yes." the blonde mumbled.

"Intellectually, you realize there could be a concern, right?"

"Yes." she grudgingly admitted. "But its a problem for tomorrow. Since I am in such a good mood tonight and see lights on the beach not far from us, hear music that desperately needs to be danced to, I suggest we throw on some shorts and have some fun. We haven't danced together in so long. It's not even late. Mom and Dad won't have a problem, especially if we don't ask them. You game or what?"

Alex shook her head. "It's a bar."

"No," Kara argued, "it's a beach bar in the open, with live music, not some hole in the wall, hidden alien bar. I just want to dance."

"Yeah, but the desire to use is also there and since you know alcohol won't have an effect on you, then you would be tempted to use the next best thing in your mind to being high." Alex didn't have to say it. Kara would know she was talking about the red ring. If her little sister used it for anything, even something as simple as flying, the demons could easily be set free.

"You will be there with me. We can stay away from the main crowd, dance on our own. Please?" she begged, clutching her hands together with a pleading smile.

Alex groaned inside. Yes, it would be good for Kara to have fun, yes it could be catastrophic if some drunk guy did something as stupid as grabbing Kara inappropriately and finding out he pissed off the wrong girl. Her little sister had looked so happy today, swimming in the bright blue clear water with Clark and her parents. Alex hadn't seen Kara this carefree in a very long time.

That in itself should have been a clue something was wrong. Kryptonian technology had always been hard to control much less perfect. Alex knew more than anyone short of Kara about the crystals and how they worked. If one didn't know the inner workings, they would think the crystals were magic. They were far from magic though. They were extremely powerful, and extremely sensitive.

If she asked her parents their opinion, they would shoot it down.

"I want to enjoy the stars for a bit longer. Then we can take a short walk, to hear the music better and you can dance like no one is watching, because no one will be. Do you really want to put on glasses and dive into a crowd of intoxicated people?"

Kara had kept her hair in a ponytail and shades on all day. They also had a secluded part of the beach to themselves in front of their bungalow. The blonde was blonde all day and didn't feel the need for a disguise, probably another clue that her paranoid little sister was becoming slightly off balance, but at the time she had taken it as a good sign.

"Nobody is going to expect Supergirl at a beach party in Cancun, much less dressed in a bikini top and cut off shorts. I won't be noticed."

Alex laughed. "Your face has been all over the news today I am sure. You also probably haven't noticed but you have an abdomen carved out of diamond, long legs, bright blue eyes and long blonde hair. You are going to be noticed by every guy and probably every girl around that hut. We can walk closer but we are not becoming involved. I make the rules, remember?"

"Always." Kara conceded, knowing it wasn't true.

The two put on shorts and told their parents they were taking a walk. Hand in hand they made their way down the beach slowly, enjoying the sea breeze and in no hurry.

"Nyssa texted me earlier this morning about coming by. I told her we were in Mexico and I would call her when I got back. I...this is probably none of my business but you didn't seem jealous or...I mean when Sara was around and we got her out with Nyssa..."

Alex shrugged her shoulders noncommittedly. "We went out a few times. I wasn't sleeping with her. I wasn't in love. I liked her, but ...I don't know. I kind of jumped into the thing with Cameron and held on for so long because she knew about me, my life, what we did. Nyssa did also but that isn't the life I want anymore. As strange as this sounds, I want someone who has never fought any bad guy, alien, meta or otherwise. I want someone who is...uncomplicated, at least compared to us. I'm not jumping into anything. You aren't the only one who has to get her life in order. We have lived this crazy life for so long and I am sick of it. I don't want it. Cameron used to say I was obsessed with it, and maybe I was, but I'm free now. We are free. I thought I would be bored working at the lab, but I actually enjoy it. The work is too easy, but it's also a relief. Its fun to eat lunch with Dad in the cafeteria and not have to conduct combat training classes afterward or spar, or check and clean weapons. As crazy as it sounds, I like it. Maybe that will change but for now, I am good. I'm having fun just being me."

Kara was surprised to hear her sister admit that.

"So before Doomsday, you were happy? I always kind of figured you were...bored."

"Sometimes boring can be good. I think we have earned boring, don't you? What about you? Do you miss it? I mean before the ring, when you were just being you, working on your bike, building the house, exercising, were you bored?"

Kara thought about it. The simple answer should have been that she was. She had thought this many times. But she had also been at peace somewhat. She had a fight, her own sobriety, her own emotions, her self-loathing, her depression. It wasn't as glorious as saving the world but it was hers.

"I guess you are right. Boredom isn't the worst thing that one could be. I think I'm going to do it. I mean I am going to take the classes at least. If I decide against it next year, then Miss Evans would understand. I need something. I need a goal, I can't just sit around all day, playing with my hobbies."

Alex was happy about that. Although convinced for most of her life that the world could do without anymore art teachers, the idea of Kara having something as normal as that despite the circumstances of her altered physical state pleased her. Eventually Eliza would have to give Kara space and her little sister may have disagreed but Kara did not do well alone with no goals.

"I think that's great. Besides, the house may be paid off and the electricity is free but I am not paying the water bill and groceries by myself."

Kara laughed lightly, deciding not to mention to Alex that completely normal would include not getting free cell, internet and Satellite TV feeds from Kelex. Neither of them would give that up or their alien Fortress and newly formed terminator.

They reached the party but stopped quite a way from it, still covered in the dark of the beach.

"Do you think she is okay?" Kara asked quietly.

"Who?" Alex asked but suspected the answer.

"Lena? She has to be going through hell right now. That family never deserved her but she loved him. He is gone, everything she had is gone and she did nothing wrong." Kara told her, the joy that had graced her face now gone.

Alex wasn't sure what to say. The thought of Lena Luthor didn't cross her mind often. She knew enough over the years from Dante to ensure her that Lena was never part of Lex's plans and therefore wasn't a threat to her sister. Not being a threat meant Alex didn't give it much thought.

"No, she probably isn't. But there isn't anything we can do about it Kara. We can't save everyone. She has her demons, just like we have ours."

Kara agreed. "We have seen enough to know there are things outside the physical realm we cannot understand. I believe there is a higher power but I think I hate it. I think it hates me. I feel like I am some pawn, we all are, in a sick game being played for its own amusement. I think about Astra sometimes. Why did it have to be me? I would do it again, no doubt, but why did it have to be me? We always knew it was. I always knew it would come down to me to take her out. The DEO couldn't have gotten one lucky shot since they discovered Kryptonite? I know it isn't their fault. It was always going to have to be me. A pawn in some sick game. Lena never had a choice either. None of us did."

Alex noted that the sound of earlier joy was gone from her voice. Perhaps the bands weren't so out of balance. Of course the mood swing could be another indicator that something wasn't right. Either way though, she had to pull her sister out of this funk she was talking herself into.

"You want to move a little closer and we can have a dance off?" Alex suggested.

Kara snorted. "To Jimmy Buffet? Not likely. I think I want to head back. We can go over the trends from the last week, see if there are any changes since our adventure with John Constantine. The flight is at four, meaning if we can get up at 7 we have five hours at least to enjoy in the water. Besides my back is starting to itch and I need that lotion."

Satisfied, the two girls made their way back, stepping in the water and enjoying the soothing coolness mixed with wet sand.

They reached the Bungalow and Kara asked for a moment which Alex hesitantly gave her.

Once she was alone she walked a bit farther away and took out her phone.

"What's wrong?" Jack Webb answered, causing Kara to smile.

"That used to be my greeting when you called Director Webb." she told him.

"Old habit, I guess. Seriously, what's wrong? You get in a bar fight and need to be sprung from a Mexican prison?"

"I think we both know that no prison can hold me. I need a favor."

"Name it." the man told her immediately.

"This won't be easy. You know and I know that Lena had nothing to do with her mother and Lex's plans. She doesn't deserve to lose everything."

"Kara..."

"Stop Jack. She doesn't. The Government has seized all the Luthor assets. Its enough that her only remaining relative is public enemy number 1. She doesn't deserve that. Get back her father's company for her. Make it clear to the public that she wasn't involved. Clear her Jack. I realize she may never get over this in public but give her a chance to right his wrongs."

"Its not that simple." he told her.

"Make it simple. I know you can. She was my best friend, Jack. Please. I'll never bother you for anything again. Just make it as right as you can for her, okay?"

Kara heard nothing for a moment, not even Jack breathing. She wasn't sure if he could pull this off but she had to try. Not even Bruce had access to the kind of people in high offices that would be needed to get this done.

"I can handle getting the assets and company back to her, though I don't know who would support that company any longer. The stock is nothing, but the buildings, machinery, land will be hers. Any weapons will be destroyed of course and any R&D that comes out will have to be open to public review for a while. I'll do what I can financially for her. Public relations wise..."

"Talk to Cat or Lois. Tell them I asked for this. Give her some kind of life back, Jack. Don't let her be another victim of something that isn't her fault." Kara told him, trying to keep the pleading out of her voice.

Jack sighed on the other end of the phone. "I'll make it happen, for you. Just leave it alone after this. You don't need this world anymore. Promise?"

"Promise. Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah, Next time ask me for a pony or something. It would be easier to get. Get some sleep, its past your bedtime." he told her jokingly and hung up.

Kara had one more call to make. She knew her family was probably getting nervous and she had a short amount of time to make it.

"Kelex, find Lena Luthor and connect me to her cell."

Kara waited for a moment, and the phone rang on the other end.

"Hello?" a very tired voice answered, one that Kara knew well but hadn't heard in a long time. She had also never heard Lena sound anything less than energetic and happy. No matter what mood Kara was in, Lena's had always been slightly contagious.

"I'm sorry." she told her.

"Supergirl?" Lena asked quietly.

"Guess you recognize my voice, huh?" Kara asked, shaking her head. Lena was always sharp.

"How did you get this number...never mind, silly question. What do you want?"

Kara didn't detect any bitterness in her voice, just genuine surprise and curiosity that she tried to cover.

"I wanted to tell you I am sorry. For everything."

Kara heard nothing for a moment.

"He...he tried to kill you. Why are you apologizing?"

"I'm not." Kara told her. "I am sorry for your loss. I know you had nothing to do with what happened. I know you are afraid and sad. I know those feelings well. I just wanted you to know that I Know you are a good person. I know you are and someday soon the world is going to know that. I wish things hadn't turned out like this for you. It will get better. You may not believe it now, but it will."

"Why?" Lena asked. "Why do you care?"

"Because we are the same. Neither of us had a choice. Goodnight. I won't bother you again. Please, take care of yourself."

Kara ended the call.

"I miss you, Lena."

 **Washington DC- The Oval Office**

The President took in the man before her, a man she could not stand. Had she been in office before his appointment he would never have made the rank he held now.

"General Lane, do you know where General Eiling is?" she asked.

"Excuse me Madame President, but did you bring me in to brief you on a missing person's case?"

"No, I brought you in to remind you that we aren't looking for him because he has been dishonorably discharged and is probably dead. Do you know why? He had an unhealthy obsession with metahumans and aliens that most likely got him killed. He ran operations off the books, contrary to the policies and orders of his Commander in Chief. I have heard rumors about you in the past that concern me as well. I cannot prove yet, what projects, if any, you have been running in the dark. I am here to warn you, that if I find out you are hiding or in coercion with Lillian Luthor, you will be disgraced and tried for treason. I am giving you one chance, right now, to give her up. If you have any information, right now is the time to give it up. You not only have your career to think of but your daughter's as well, right?"

Marsdin watched him carefully but the man gave away nothing, besides his face reddening in anger. He remained silent but it didn't matter. The point of bringing him in was not to intimidate him into giving Luthor up. She knew he was hiding her and knew he wouldn't. The point was to shake him, cause him to make a mistake. The President wanted Luthor's head on a stick, paraded in downtown Metropolis.

"I assure you my loyalty is to the United States Government and this office, Madame President."

The President grinned, enjoying how difficult it was for the man to say that.

"I am glad to hear it General. The Vice President is doing well and from all indications I have been given, she has an excellent chance of election in two years, meaning the policies in regard to aliens and metahumans will remain the same. General, this is an informal conversation. The CIA is aware of your relationship to Lex and Lillian Luthor in the past. She has disappeared and I am sparing nothing in the mission to arrest her and stand trial for the legal violations of Lex Corp and the deaths harboring that monster caused. Walk the line or your next conversation will be with a Military Tribunal."

Lane stood and walked out, not bothering to say another word. As soon as he had left the building, the President called in her next guest.

Jason Connolly walked in, garbed in a suit he had bought the night before. He did not appear comfortable. The idea of talking to a politician didn't bother him. The tie did.

"Have a seat, Commander." she offered. "You look dashing if I may say so. I don't believe I have ever seen you in a suit."

"Not great for combat, Madame President."

"Yes, that is your specialty. Not much for the red tape or politics, I presume? I'm sure Jack Webb appreciates you passing on that challenging work to him. Any idea why you have been called in to see me?"

Connolly grinned and leaned back in the plush chair. "It probably can't be good. Operations are my responsibility, so I can't imagine you are happy with the DEO's non response in Metropolis."

"That situation has been taken care of. The Deputy Director of the field office was moved to Alaska and the main operating base is now in Metropolis?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Good enough. I doubt the DEO could have done anything regardless. A bit harsh towards Agent Chase but I have no doubt she will climb back up the ladder. That isn't why I called you. Want to take another guess?"

"The raid on Lord Industries?"

"Oh right. The coroner's report on Mr. Lord was enlightening. He resisted arrest and was stabbed 17 times? 16 in non-fatal areas before his throat was cut."

Connolly nodded his head. "I regret that he attacked me and I was forced to defend myself but I felt deadly force was warranted at the time."

"He also had a broken hand and his eye socket was shattered."

The man shrugged his shoulders.

"These things happen I guess."

The President smiled and shook her head. "You are everything I expected you to be. That isn't the reason I called you in either. I couldn't care less about the death of a man who experimented on brain dead girls. I have concerns the DEO needs to address. Since everyone knows you are the one who handles the more...physical operations of the department, I wanted to speak directly to you. You can brief your team when you return. By that, I mean your real team, not the chain of command at the DEO. I want this kept quiet, even in your own organization. I realize your men have had a close working relationship with Supergirl in the past."

"She has been a valuable asset that assisted us at times." Connolly agreed carefully.

The President was not fooled. "I think it is more than that. Our blonde superhero has fought many times in front of live cameras, street cams, satellite cams. I'm a fan, you could say. No one has ever gotten close to discovering her identity. We both know why that is. Earth technology cannot compete with alien technology. But what my highly paid analysts have never noticed is that she fights like you do. You would almost believe you had trained her, but that's impossible of course. You did have a protege in the DEO that recently left the organization, correct? An Alex Danvers? Short haired brunette, similar hair, height and weight of a certain partner to Supergirl. Her parents Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers also recently left. I know this because I have kept a close eye on your department for years. Imagine my surprise when all records of the Danvers were erased from the DEO server. If I had not been so interested in the past I might never have known they did such important work in service of our nation."

Connolly's face showed no emotion while his mind went over multiple scenarios, some of which included assassination and moving the Danvers to a foreign country.

The President was impressed.

"You have a much better poker face than Lane. He is hiding Lillian Luthor and is foolish enough to think he can lie to me." she told him. "Those surrounding me may be idiots but I am not. I know you and your friends, probably your old teammate Dante Youngblood as well, have had something to do with Kara Danvers, her training, her fighting ability, before she ever became Supergirl. I would guess you had something to do with getting Kara and her brother identities when they first arrived. I don't really care. Stop thinking of assassination plots. No one else in the Government knows to my knowledge. If Waller, Lane, or Luthor had caught wind of it in the past ,no doubt an attempt on her loved ones lives would have happened. I have no plans to say anything. I never have and I never will."

Connolly could no longer keep his face calm. Since she knew so much he figured he had nothing to lose.

"Can we get to the damn point, Madame President? You know who she is, you know we were involved with her, you haven't said anything to anyone. I'm still not hearing the reason I had to buy a damn suit."

Marsdin smiled widely. "There is the Connolly I have heard so much about. Supergirl indirectly helped me win my first election, by simply not speaking of or being seen with my predecessor. She posed for candid photos with me during my second campaign, though she never outwardly spoke in my support, it was obvious to the public. Kara Danvers is very dear to me. I want us to be on the same page. I need to trust you and now you know you can trust me. What do you know about this so called Justice League?"

Connolly said nothing for a moment, wishing he would have called in sick so Jack would have had to handle this.

"Enough. I'm not telling you their identities if that is what you want."

"Diana Prince and Arthur Curry don't seem to worry about secret identities. Do you trust them?"

The man shook his head slightly. "They aren't a danger if that's what you asking. I trust my men, I trust Alex and Kara. I don't rely on anyone else. There mission and our mission may cross paths but we aren't sharing hideouts or costumes."

"Good." the President told him. "I don't see them as a threat either but we will not rely on them. I want to make sure we are never in a position where Supergirl has to come out of retirement to fight our battles again and I don't want to trust a team I do not know everything about. They are keeping a secret, one I want to know."

"I don't follow Ma'am. You are talking about their identities?"

"No. If they aren't a threat I could care less. Not long ago a sharp spike of energy was picked up by one of our LA Class attack subs near the Greenland Icecap. It went away quickly, less than a minute, according to the Captain but he reported the incident to his Admiral, due to concerns that the Russians or Chinese may be developing a subaquatic power station or weapon. It was brought to the attention of my National Security Advisor when all readings and satellite footage of the area were gone. Every camera we had was down instantly. I know it wasn't Supergirl who did it and I know one man who shared tech with her who could have the ability to pull that off easily, our friend with the bat ears. Something alien landed and was taken by the Justice League. Have they talked to you about any of this?"

"No Ma'am." he grudgingly admitted, a bit upset by this news. In the past this was something one of the Danvers would have told him about immediately. Of course Bruce Wayne didn't have the relationship with the DEO that the Danvers did so he shouldn't have been surprised.

"I am not willing to rely on them. I want you and your men to find whatever it is that landed. Find it, identify it and report to me. Neither of us wants to be unprepared again, correct? You know I can be trusted, I know you can be trusted. We need to be unified in this. Agreed?"

Connolly thought of this and his anger intensified. Any doubt where Dante's loyalties were now were gone. If the Justice League knew about this, so did he and said nothing to Jack. The two of them's relationship may have been gone but he should have let Ty or Jack know at least. It was time to take matters into his own hands.

"I think I can handle that Ma'am."

"Silently, no bodies. I don't want them to know that we know. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am. I have a pretty good idea on where to start looking. I'm also going to need some funds. I know an alien bounty hunter I would like to keep on retainer."


	43. Chapter 43

Do not own DC or CW characters

 **Chapter 43- Cages**

The two girls walked slowly from the driveway Jeremiah had dropped them off from, bags in both hands and sombreros on their heads. At the door, Kara dropped her bags and punched in the security code that lifted the small panel where a palm scan was positioned. System disarmed, she opened the door and nearly screamed as Streaky came at her, almost flying, catching her belt and crawling up her body to her shoulders, burrowing into her skin and under her hair.

"Streaky! Not my shoulders!" Kara hissed in pain, the redness of the Cancun beach sun still remaining on her skin.

Alex noted this was not usual behavior for the cat, who was normally laid back and not clingy in the least. Streaky only acted like this when she was scared. Dropping her bags, she pushed Kara aside, back onto the porch and removed the painting to the right of the wall. Opening the safe with a retinal scanner she pulled a Glock 40 from it quickly and scanned the now lit room.

What she saw made her tense immediately. The coffee table was shattered, as were the bookcases that lined the walls in the back of the living room. The recliner had been titled back onto the floor.

"Stay outside." Alex ordered. "No matter what, do not take that bracelet off or use that ring. I'm serious, Kara."

The older sister turned towards the kitchen, hearing footsteps on the hardwood floor.

"Alex, its okay." Kara told her, sounding resigned and a bit disgusted.

"There is someone in the kitchen! You have one second before I shoot through that wall to show yourself!" she shouted at the offender.

Placing herself in front of Kara, Alex never got the chance to fire, as two metal hands stretched out from the side of the doorway to the kitchen.

"Don't shoot. I surrender."

Alex shook her head, gun still at the ready. "What the hell is going..."

Kelex stepped out into the entrance to the living room. "Alex! Kara. I wasn't expecting the two of you home for another 26 minutes. Have you seen Streaky? I keep trying to track him...oh, there you are. You're heat signature molded with Kara's body."

Alex dropped her hands and placed the gun back in the safe.

"Nice sombrero." the robot offered.

"Kara?" Alex asked. "Why is our robot in our home, destroying the place?"

Kara cleared her throat. She had thought this may have been a bad idea but surely her super advanced AI robot could pull off something so simple.

"Kelex, doesn't get out much...ever. He asked if he could stay in the house while we were away. I told him he could come inside and take care of Streaky. Change the litter box, feed, water, that kind of thing. I don't remember telling him he could destroy coffee tables and bookshelves. Kelex, what happened here?"

Alex turned to Kara, in disbelief. "You asked Kelex to house sit?"

"Just to come over and feed the cat. He doesn't get out much." Kara offered, not knowing what else to say.

"Its true. The last time I left the Fortress was to assist you in bringing Kara inside when she had the Black Mercy attached to her. I wanted to get out and offered to look..."

"What part of feed the cat did you not get?" Kara asked, knowing she wasn't going to like the answer judging by how badly Streaky was shaking.

Kelex stepped closer to Kara and Streaky hissed from the blonde's shoulders stopping his movement.

"You said to take care of Streaky. I noted that she was in desperate need of a bath and her claws needed trimming. I thought I would take care of these simple tasks for you. Unfortunately I underestimated the difficulty in bathing a cat. She escaped several times without being bathed. I am not accustomed to using my new limbs when chasing extremely fast and agile creatures. This caused me to lose my center of balance and fall ...a few times. I believe she led me purposely in front of the coffee table and my ability to grab her quickly yet gently was lacking, especially in regard to her foray into the bookshelves. Damage has been incurred but I promise I will fix it...may I have the cat so I can bathe her?"

"Stay away from Streaky." Kara told him. "Food, water, cat litter. Not bathing, nail clipping and destruction. I'll fix everything. Just go back to the Fortress and make sure everything is okay."

Kelex pointed to his head. "I've been monitoring the Fortress the entire time. I've been chasing your cat for four hours. Can I rest a moment here?"

Alex and Kara stared at the robot for a moment, knowing he didn't need rest. It was obvious he was lonely and their problem now. Alex cursed herself not for the first time for going along with Kara's suggestions that Kelex be programmed to learn and practice emotions. She liked her unemotional smart ass robot better.

"Get the bags." Alex ordered. "I'm going to my room. Kara, I have to tune the band a bit so give me thirty. We can clean this mess up afterward."

Kelex moved in front of the stairs. "Perhaps you should rest on the sofa and I will prepare your bedroom, make sure everything is perfect?" he offered.

Alex squinted her eyes and felt a headache coming on. "What did you do to my bedroom? Never mind, get out of my way."

The girl slipped past him, while Streaky jumped from Kara's shoulders and ran for the kitchen, leaving the blonde and her robot alone.

"Seriously?"

Kelex shrugged his shoulders. "My bad? I thought it would be helpful. I have never taken measurements on Streaky's physical skills. She is in outstanding health and her fitness level is superb."

Kara was not sure what to say so she went past the AI, hoping he at least managed to feed and water her cat. To her relief the litter had been changed and what looked like fresh food and water was present.

"I did the tasks you assigned me. I'm not an idiot." she heard from behind.

Kara turned towards him. "You destroyed the living room and probably Alex's bedroom. What were you thinking? You aren't three feet tall and floating anymore. That's a big body, not meant for chasing small, delicate life forms like my baby cat!"

Kelex nodded his head in agreement. "In hindsight, I can see my actions were not wise. My size does bring up an idea I wanted to run past you. I have drawn designs for my next upgrade. I believe if I could have 4 inches added to my height, it would make me a more imposing guardian of the Fortress."

Kara rubbed her head, also feeling a headache coming her way and wishing like hell Alex had developed a band that could mimic Advil.

"You want to be taller? Wouldn't this be counterproductive in the event cats invaded the Fortress somehow?"

"Don't be silly, why would cats attempt to invade the Fortress? I was also thinking color schemes, perhaps something other than the chrome look? What about something in red and gold..."

"I'm not turning you into Iron Man! Get the bags or go back to the Fortress!"

Kelex said nothing for a moment.

"I've made you angry." he finally realized.

"I'm not angry."

"Your respiratory rate is increasing and you have closed your eyes as if you are in pain, yet there are no physical conditions which should cause you pain. My actions have caused disapproval and my suggestions on upgrades have made you angry. How can I support you emotionally? Would you like a hug? Perhaps we can count backwards from one million using only prime numbers and their roots? We did that when you were 6. We had fun doing that, right? Fun times, Kelex and Kara, hanging out, forcing you to learn mathematics and molecular biology, repeating the lessons over and over for days until you finally got them correct...this is not helping, is it?"

Kara controlled her breathing and rubbed her temples. Taking deep breathes through her nose in and out, she began to feel better. She had after all, created this monster. If he screwed up, it was on her.

"It's fine, Kelex. Would you please get our bags and I will check on Alex to see if she needs any help, or a new bed?"

"Of course. I like your sombrero. Much brighter than Alex's."

Left alone for a moment, she looked at Streaky. She could swear the cat was accusing her with a look.

"Sorry?" she offered and tossed her large hat on the table. Upstairs she found Alex, trying to lift a large drawer chest off the ground. The two girls managed to do it without every drawer sliding into them. Kara surveyed the damage and was pleased to see other than a few gouges in the plaster which she could easily fix, the room appeared to be in the same condition.

"Vacations over?" Alex asked.

"For you." Kara agreed. "I'm the crazy shut in who lives alone by the cliffs. Another twenty years and kids will be calling me a witch and daring each other to sneak onto my property. We should get this session done and go to bed. Out of town game tomorrow, remember?"

 **S.T.A.R. Labs**

"I'm confused. How the hell did the sphere disappear overnight without any alarm going off?" Barry asked Cisco. "Bruce has this place wired, the security is the best it has ever been. Was there any sign of a ship overhead on the cameras? Could it have self-teleported? Did Stewart come back and Diana gave the okay to take it to space?"

Dante walked in, looking as frustrated as Barry felt. "Aliens had nothing to do with this nor did any Lantern. The power was taken out as well as the reserve power simultaneously, timed with a cyber attack on the alarm signals, masking any changes to normal operating functions. There is a tunnel a mile away blown inward from a side alley the old pipeline runs under. Two entered through the pipeline while someone, probably Winn, was able to use a trojan virus to mask it as construction work while the other two took out the separate power sources for the security system. It was simple to retrieve the sphere and leave with it after that. The explosions were small and would not have made a loud noise. Its a tactic we have used before."

"Connolly." Barry realized. "Why would the DEO take it? All he had to do was ask Bruce. It's not like anyone didn't tell them we had...no one told them we had it, did they?" Barry asked.

Dante shrugged his shoulders. "Bruce said to keep it in house. This isn't my house and neither is the DEO. It wasn't my business. Take it up with your bosses."

Cisco shook his head. "I was sleeping here all night. I don't care how small the explosions were, I would have heard something."

"Is your neck stiff?" the man asked.

"Of course it is." Cisco admitted. "I fell asleep in a chair."

Dante nodded, suspecting as much. "I'm sure if you checked carefully in the mirror you will find a puncture mark. Webb is very good at injecting sleeping victims without waking them. You were drugged and the explosions most likely wouldn't have woken you anyway. The entrance was far away as are the power stations. He and Connolly came in alone, while Hawk and Ty took out the power sources. Good day gentlemen."

Barry and Cisco were left alone, not sure what to say. Bruce had upgraded the system, even keeping separate power plants in the event one was taken out the other should sound and alert immediately. The attack would have been precise.

Cisco cleared his throat. "So uh...you think you should tell Diana and Bruce, or J'onn and let him tell them, or..."

"I'll figure it out." Barry told him and walked off, wondering how things had gotten to badly that the men who trained him not long ago no longer trusted him to ask a simple question.

But the answer was obvious. When the Justice League decided to keep the sphere to themselves, even as far as sending Stewart and Lobo into deep space to learn more, lines were drawn. Kara had mentioned in the past about choosing your team. She had to make a choice once on who to trust. It occurred to him that Connolly trusted her as did Bruce and J'onn. But without Kara in the equation, without her as the common factor there was no trust between the two remaining factors. He had thought Connolly remained close to J'onn but perhaps that wasn't the case.

"Connolly took it?" a new voice asked as Barry turned a corner. Bruce was dressed, cap and cowl, ready to go after someone Barry guessed.

"I thought you were going back to Gotham?" he asked, without answering the man.

"I did as well, but it appears I need to make a stop by Metropolis and visit the DEO."

Barry winced a bit. "Why? It took Dante less than a minute to guess it was them, and how they did it. Took him about twenty minutes probably to find the proof. Connolly wasn't hiding that they did it. He isn't stupid enough to take it back to the DEO. We didn't tell him, he found out and took matters into his own hands. Its what you would have done. Does it matter? We know what its purpose was, it hurt us, we have no idea what information it stole or where it was sent and we don't know where it came from. He doesn't have a chance of finding out either."

Barry could tell Bruce was considering this. The man was obviously angry. Barry should have been. His home was broken into, his best friend drugged and something important stolen. He couldn't find it in himself to be angry though. There simply was not any point and he was too tired. He didn't give a damn about who had the alien ball. He only gave a damn about why it was here and until Lobo or Stewart made it back, he just had to wait.

"I'll get J'onn to have a talk with them." Bruce decided. "Perhaps they should be brought into the loop."

Barry snorted. "Good luck with that. It looks like they broke into the loop and took what they wanted. You may have Kara's tech but they taught her everything she knows about fighting and I know they have alien tech. We should have brought them in from the beginning."

"We couldn't risk the government finding out until we knew what we were dealing with." Bruce countered.

"They found out anyway. They will never trust us now. You know why. If we had pulled something like this on Kara would she ever trust us again? Who do you think taught her about warfare? Who taught the Danvers to trust anyone outside the family? They did. Clark and Dan Hawk are practically best friends. He was the kid's babysitter numerous times. The girls spent all of their free time growing up training with Connolly and Dante. Who would they trust if it came down to them or us? I'll talk to them. I will apologize. Maybe I can salvage this."

Bruce said nothing as Barry ran away, mulling over his words. The man wanted this team at first so Kara wouldn't be alone with the burden of beating enemies Bruce could not handle on his own. Then he wanted the team to replace her. He had placed all his bets on this team and may have ostracized the ones she trusted the most.

"Bruce, this is Diana." he heard in his ear. "We need to talk. Stewart is back. They have information, but Lobo took a communication as soon as they hit atmosphere and left Stewart. Hurry back to Gotham. I'll contact the rest."

 **DEO Headquarters, Metropolis**

"That was fast." Webb noted. He had made the call only hours before.

Lobo stood in front of his desk, the chair too small for him to sit in and not really feeling like standing after so many days in space. Connolly was standing against the wall to his right side and Lobo waited for him to speak. Webb may have been the director and had the big office but everybody knew when it went down, Connolly was in charge. If they had called him here, something was about to go down.

"You were lucky. I just returned from a trip. I didn't realize Kara gave you my transponder code."

"She didn't. We have seen her use it enough that we were able to mimic it. But you knew that. It wasn't exact, it wasn't from her so you guessed it would be from us." Connolly told him.

Lobo nodded his large head. It hadn't been hard to figure out. "So, what can galactic scum like myself do to help you gentlemen?"

"Everything you have done has been to help Kara and Alex. Every job you have taken for Wayne has been to help those girls, even tracking Damian Darhk. You aren't loyal to Wayne and his crew. They aren't loyal to you. You were the first one to help Kara against that creature. You didn't get drawn away by Atrocitus. You knew where Kara would be and went straight to Metropolis." Connolly told him. "That said I don't expect you to be loyal to us. I want to hire you, come to an agreement on a contract."

Lobo shook his head and smiled. "I doubt you have a uniform big enough for me and I don't really do well with teams, or meetings, or any kind of organization."

Webb stood up from his desk and stepped around, moving closer to the Czarnian.

"You seriously think I want you as an agent? We both know if anything big goes down, like that monster or worse, an invasion, those six won't be enough to protect this world. That means Kara comes out of retirement and handles things on her own once again. You don't want that anymore than we do. We need you as a ...consultant. We need you to fight beside us, just like at Myriad. If anything ever goes down that requires a lot of manpower, you know we can have the entire government at our disposal and probably the militaries of other countries. We need you. No bullshit, that's the truth."

Lobo stepped back and began walking around the large office, taking in the paintings on the walls, not very impressed with the reprints.

"You're pissed off that Wayne didn't tell you about the Sphere, right?"

"We both know Wayne keeps secrets if he feels it is in the best interest of whatever agenda he is pushing. He thinks they are enough. What are they going to do if there are bombardments from orbit? Can Barry run on air? Is that Green Lantern enough? J'onn has never tried to fly into space. Jack and I need to know what is going on. I know that if you make a contract with someone, that's it, you follow through and I can trust you. No one knows more about what is going on in the galaxy than you."

Lobo turned towards Connolly. "You think I haven't thought of this? You think I don't know that they aren't enough? Yeah, this world is going to have to get their shit together or Kara is going to have to save its ass once again. By the world I mean every damn country, not just Bruce's team. Give me a dollar."

Webb pulled out a bill from his wallet and handed it over quickly.

"We have an agreement. You boys are going to have to get whatever pathetic defenses this world has together. I'll give you everything I know and after my recent trip, I know a lot. When the time comes, I will fight with you, and I hope that Kara won't be needed. The contract is good for one year."

Webb did not like the sound of that. "A year?"

"Yeah," Lobo confirmed, "because in a year you either won't need me anymore or this planet will be dead. You boys better have a seat. You won't like what's headed our way. However many nukes you got, you are going to need more. I'm going to tell you about a race called the Diasporans and the six hundred and twenty six warships and hundred thousand or so troops they got coming this way. We have maybe six months. They are coming here for one reason, the same reason they have visited six other planets. They plan to wipe out life on this rock."

 **2 Months later- Raleigh North Carolina**

Barry walked into the genetics research lab at UNC Raleigh with a certain trepidation, not sure how this would go. The past two months had not been good. Between learning that a massive invasion for was heading towards Earth, the Guardians unsurprisingly refusing to let the Lanterns step in due to Stewart's disregard for their orders in working with the Justice League, and a definite line drawn between the DEO and government as a whole and the Justice League despite his and J'onn's attempts, things were not looking good.

He had come here for one reason and one reason only. Despite what the others said, Barry wanted to warn Jeremiah of what was coming. Not even Bruce had talked at length with any of them lately, other than reports from the eldest Danvers on virus strains that could be effective against Brainiac and a weekly call from Kara or Alex to check on him of all things. A look by Brother Eye confirmed that Kelex was not monitoring any of their activities, or he had no doubt Kara or Alex would have at least contacted Batman. He also knew that Kelex was as always protecting the DEO from Brother Eye. It had started at J'onn's request six years ago and continued.

Bruce did not want them concerned with something he felt they and by extension, the world should handle on their own. Barry argued that if they were surprised, Kara would react as she did against Doomsday and jump into the fight with no hesitation. According to Stewart, the Reds were nowhere around, probably hanging out on Ysmault doing whatever it is that Reds did with their free time.

A compromise was reached, and it was decided Barry would approach Dr. Danvers with a warning so he could develop some plan to keep Kara out of the picture.

The Flash knew this may be impossible as well. From what he gathered from Stewart, there had been no instances of red energy being released on Earth, meaning Kara had not used the ring in a very long time or was better at hiding it or using it on different planets. Either way, Barry knew it would be difficult to keep her out of the fight but if anyone could it would be her parents and sister. Since her sister was as likely to jump into the mess as Kara was, the man decided to approach Jeremiah.

After receiving directions to his lab, he opened the door to find what he guessed was a secretary or lab assistant present. Her back was to him and she wore no lab coat but she sat at a console furiously typing away. Barry saw she wore glasses and had her chestnut brown hair in a tight bun. She was dressed conservatively, a long ankle length black skirt and white blouse. Had the skirt not been so long, he might have noticed a red ankle bracelet on her left leg.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find Jeremiah Danvers?"

The woman stiffened and slowly turned towards him in her chair.

"Barry?" Kara asked, confusion on her face. This was the last place she expected to see him.

The man did not know what to say. He had no idea Kara would be here, in disguise. According to Bruce, she spent all her time in Midvale as far as he could tell.

"Hi?" he offered, not knowing what else to say, mind racing for an excuse for his presence.

"Hi." Kara replied, staring at him for a moment. She hadn't seen him since Clark's first baseball game and Kelex had refrained from looking in on him at her demand. "What's...what's going on?"

Barry smiled, not sure what to say. He knew he had to lie, something he hated Kara doing to him in the past.

"I...I was in Metropolis, training thing, CSI stuff. Bruce asked me since I was close if I could talk to Jeremiah about some test results..."

"You're lying." the girl told him. "And you are bad at it. I'm an expert at lying so I would know. Why do you want to see my Dad, Barry? Is he in danger? If he is, tell me now."

They were all in danger, was Barry's first thought but dismissed it. He decided a version of the truth was needed with a dose of deflection.

"I thought you didn't want to know about...superhero stuff?"

Kara nodded her head. "I don't want my family involved either."

Barry saw she was worried, and on the verge of getting angry. "I promise, I am not involving him in anything. Bruce just wanted his opinion on some things regarding aliens, and a potential virus outbreak. That's it. I come in peace, I promise."

Kara looked at him closely. He looked tired, more tired than she had ever seen him. His hair was slightly longer than normal but still neat, and his style of dress was the same as always. It was his eyes that concerned her the most. They were duller than the last time she had seen him, sadder, and beginning to look like her eyes after she had seen one too many bodies.

"Are you okay?"

Barry chuckled. "Define okay? No, I am doing fine. I've been working hard, training, picking up a few new tricks. We have had some successes lately. I guess you don't watch the news much?"

"Not if I can help it." Kara admitted. "Are you hungry? Dad is in the clean room with Alex for the next hour. Mom is teaching a class and then the two of us are going to the Botanical Gardens, but she will be a while. They have a decent cafeteria here."

Barry smiled, liking the idea. It felt like forever since they talked at all.

"I would like that."

The two walked three buildings down and went through a serving line. He was impressed with Kara's plate. It was mostly salad and fruit but there was plenty of it. She looked good, healthy. She looked relaxed. It killed him to know it probably wouldn't last. Not unless her parents could figure something out. Of course it was up to Barry and his friends and the world for that matter to make sure there was a world for her to live a normal life in. If they failed, the human race, short of anyone in the Fortress, could be extinct. He knew there was no way to repel this invasion with no damage being done, no lives lost. He had no doubt they would win, but the loss of life and property would be catastrophic.

Barry really hated living with knowledge others didn't have, normal people, people like Kara was now.

The two sat down and began eating, not really knowing what to say to each other. Kara surprisingly ended the silence.

"I want to apologize to you. I shouldn't have kicked your door in or torn up your closet...or yelled at you in front of you friends. I've been working a lot with Leslie over the past few months, working on anger management along with other things. I shouldn't have done what I did, not like that."

Barry was surprised, remembering Bruce telling him that Kara never apologized. He also noted that she didn't apologize for what she had said to him. Bruce was right. She believed every word.

The man shrugged is shoulders, not wanting to push the issue.

"I probably didn't handle it the best I could have either. So do you work here now?"

Kara shook her head. "I'm taking online classes. Next year I plan to teach art at Midvale Junior High, so I have to take certification classes. I just finished rebuilding a car for Alex and me to share. I restored a 69 Mach 1 Mustang for a guy in Raleigh and he sold me a 70 Fastback cheap. I don't want her on the bike on cold or rainy days. But I am up to date on my classes and the cars are done, so I was bored. I hate being bored. Mom suggested we go to the Gardens. We haven't been a long time. I rode here with them and have been hanging out, organizing Dad's lab, looking over some of him and Alex's tests results. They are working on a cancer treatment and it could be a major stepping stone towards fighting the disease and attacking tumors without causing cellular death. It's a type of transportation system hidden in viruses and he wanted me to look over some equations for him. No big deal really. I don't think he really needed me. He just wanted something to keep me occupied."

Barry couldn't exactly relate. His life had been extremely tiring, action filled, followed by slow hours of work, then back to the grind, getting faster, always faster. He constantly kept busy, to not let down his teammates, not let down the world, and stop him from thinking about Kara all the time. His attempts at dating had not gone well so he had given up.

Talking to Jeremiah would have hurt. Seeing her here of all places had thrown him for a loop.

"Its still nice of you...so teaching, huh? Sounds like you are making some great plans for the normal life you wanted. How is everything else? I can't help but notice your...ring...seems to have lost its shine."

Kara looked around making sure no one was listening.

"Do you know John Constantine?"

Barry shook his head, never having heard of anyone with that name.

"He is a warlock. It's kind of a long story on how we met but the man is powerful. Me and Alex performed a ritual with him. We actually entered the ring!" she whispered. "It was scary. He fought the demons that lived inside it, that gave it power and Alex and I fought...these things. There was a box there inside the ring. He bound the demons inside. As long as I don't use it for anything, they won't get out of where they are trapped. They can't talk to me anymore, tempt me. I've been wearing a red sun device since then and its been great. Yeah, I hate wearing the ring and the bracelets but it gives me some semblance of a normal life."

Barry stared at her for a moment, wanting to ask her if the normal life she had talked about in the past included rituals involving warlocks. Instead he grinned, told her he was glad and continued eating at a much slower pace to keep up with her.

"You think we could take a walk?" he finally asked when they were done. Kara agreed figuring she owed it to him. She wasn't sure if they would ever have this conversation, if she would ever see him again, so never gave much thought to it outside of her therapy sessions.

The two walked towards a part of campus that seemed mostly deserted while classes were in session. Sitting down on a bench, Kara figured she would let him start.

It didn't take long.

"Can you tell me what happened? Did I push too much? I pushed too much, didn't I?"

Kara reached over and took his hand gently.

"It wasn't your fault, Barry. You went through a lot with me, stuck by my side through rehab, visited a horrible planet, you did everything you could. I love you. I do, but..."

"Say it." he told her, suspecting what the problem was.

"You confused me. When you were around, I was confused. I was trying to figure out my place in so many people's lives and I wasn't really thinking about my own life. It was easy to get lost in you. You were right. I wanted to stay way from all the hero stuff but I watched everything you did. I blame myself. I wish we would have met again, but in a couple years, when my life could be possibly settled, when I could have figured out who I am. But right now...Barry I do love you, but I hate the Flash and you are both. I hated myself, both sides of me, for so long and I had to choose. I chose to be Kara, not Supergirl. You though, you are comfortable with both sides of you. You will always be the Flash and that is great...for you. But ... it's not what I needed or wanted."

Barry felt a bit sick to his stomach. He almost preferred the screaming match the two had.

"You are still friends with Bruce and J'onn. You still talk to the guys from the DEO." he pointed out.

Kara didn't argue that. "Bruce and J'onn and those guys have been in my life so long...but they were broken before I met them. I didn't want to watch you become broken to. It could happen Barry. I hope it doesn't but it most likely will. When it does, you aren't going to need to worry about me. You are going to have to deal with yourself. Tell me, do any of your Justice League teammates have girlfriends or boyfriends?"

"No, I suppose not." he admitted. "That doesn't mean love is impossible. A person can have both."

Kara could see that point to an extent. "Maybe, but right now, I can't. If you weren't the Flash and I was that human girl I was pretending to be when I was 18, we would have graduated, maybe lived together, gotten married, had some kids and grown old together. But we aren't those people, no matter how much I wish we were. When you were around, I still desperately wanted to be those people but it wasn't meant to be. We are who we are. I will always love Barry Allen but I still don't really love myself. I'm getting there, I am trying, I am finally working to make peace with myself. I can eat at a restaurant and see someone drinking and not feel my gut turning, desperately wishing I was them."

"I'm glad to hear that." Barry told her, meaning it. She did look more relaxed than she had in the past. He had expected her to be edgy if he ever saw her again, barely containing the power of the ring if she even tried.

Kara let go of his hand and he missed it immediately.

"I miss you." he admitted quietly.

"I miss you too." she told him.

"Its not enough though, is it? Even if I quit?"

"Denying a part of yourself to make someone else happy isn't the answer. We both know that. You think I don't want to be with you, with the guy I met in a parking garage almost seven years ago? I do Barry. I even wish I could still be at least her, Kara Danvers, alien in hiding, before I put on a cape and had to go to war. I would have stayed in the shadows and still be haunted, but I could have been close to normal, with the right meds and therapy I think I could have been happier. Instead I had to kill. I turned myself into so many different things I wasn't sure who or what I was anymore. I'm still not completely sure. I am having to rebuild myself. But I have also faced some truths about my life. My happy ending doesn't necessarily involve a guy. I may be single for the rest of my life and if it takes the rest of my life to figure myself out I would rather be alone. I'm okay with that."

"I can wait..."

"Barry, stop. Why won't you ever listen to me? I don't want you to wait. I want you to live your life, try and have it all. You always told me I was pushing you away and I guess I was but it wasn't all about protecting you. A lot of it was me figuring out who I was. I will always love you, but that doesn't mean I want us back together. I can't continue this path, thinking that you are waiting for me on the other end. It could take a lifetime and I don't want to be responsible for you putting your life on hold. If you love me, please move on. Put me in the past and live your life. Its going to be hard enough, Barry. Being a warrior isn't easy, you know that, and it doesn't get easier. You aren't the same person you were when you started being the Flash. In six years you won't be the same person you are now. No one is but...its going to be harder for you to hold on to yourself. I used to tell Bruce that Bruce Wayne was a mask and Batman was who he really was. He agreed with me because it was true. It becomes harder and harder not to let the mask take over your life. I made that suit for Barry Allen, not the Flash. I wanted to keep you safe but that night I realized, you are the same. I can't separate you and I shouldn't."

Barry thought of that for a moment. It was difficult to tell at times because Bruce did his best to play a part for the team, but he was more Batman than Bruce Wayne. Diana accepted both sides of herself because she never tried to separate one from the other. Neither had Curry or Stewart. It was people with normal lives outside of the mask that had the most difficult time.

It still didn't hurt any less. She loved him. She didn't want to be with him. It made no sense in his mind but did as well. She fell in love with a guy who didn't really exist anymore and he fell in love with a girl who didn't exist or know who she was, probably still didn't.

"I get it, I guess. I'll always love you too, no matter who you figure out you are. I can see you, the real you. I get it though. I...hope you figure out what you need to. I hope you can get the life you want. I just want you to be happy."

Kara didn't quite believe him from the tone of his voice. She had no doubt he wanted her happy but doubted he would give up and move on easily.

It was fine. She had done the best she could.

"Thank you. Thank you for loving me despite how hard I was to love."

"It wasn't that hard." he told her. "It still isn't."

A new voice interrupted the conversation, surprising them both. The conversation had caused them to forget about the world around them. "Kara? Barry?"

Kara saw her mother was very surprised by her visitor.

"Hey Mom. Barry stopped by to say hi to Dad and found me in his lab. We were waiting for you to get out of class so we can check out my favorite monkeys. You uh...you ready?"

Eliza shook her head. "Of course. Would you mind going to get the car from the garage? My feet are killing me and I want to catch up with Barry. It seems like forever since we last talked."

Kara was not fooled. She knew Barry lied about his reason for being here even after she asked him again and Eliza knew there was no good explanation for his presence. Something was wrong if Barry ran to North Carolina to visit Jeremiah.

Kara gently hugged the man and took her mother's keys, walking off. In the past she would have tried and listened but not this time. This time, like every day the device stayed on and Kara pretended to be human. If it was bad, she would know. Their family had done well the past couple months on communication. They didn't keep secrets any longer.

Once Kara was out of range, Eliza cut to the chase.

"Its good to see you but what's going on? Please tell me you found out Kara wasn't at home and used Jeremiah as an excuse to be here." she practically begged. Kara had made strides and while Barry entering her life again at a delicate time probably wouldn't be good, it beat whatever other motive he might have had.

"I wish I had. Its a lot, none of it good and Kara and Alex are going to...I need time to explain this. It would be better if I could tell Jeremiah and he could explain it to you, instead of cramming it in to the few minutes we have. It might be a conversation better suited for the Fortress where Clark can't hear either."

Eliza was beginning to feel sick but held it together. She now wished she hadn't asked him because her fears were confirmed. Something bad was coming for her children again. Something she may have to keep a secret, even after they had worked for months on being open with each other. But she couldn't. If she and Jeremiah kept a secret the trust between them and Kara would break. Kara had not lied and they all agreed none of them would again.

The woman nodded her head and walked towards the parking lot, just as Kara was pulling up and the two were gone quickly, too quickly for his taste. He hadn't expected to spend any time with her and now that he had, he wanted more.

Instead of dwelling on it, the man went back to Jeremiah's lab, glad the man was alone. Barry didn't have to knock as Jeremiah was facing the door and saw him out the window. Opening it up he waved to Barry to come inside.

"Barry...this isn't good, is it?"

Barry decided to miss the niceties and go for bluntness. "In about two to four months, this world is going to face a massive invasion force. By massive I mean hundreds of ships, hundred thousand troops or more by a race that has destroyed six planets. I need to tell you everything if you have any chance of keeping Kara and Alex out of it. I also need to talk to you about the Fortresses defenses. Kara told me once I needed to learn them if the worst happened and I was in control. I never had the chance. I need you to tell me what weapons you have and if you can use them to help save this world. You also need a plan to keep your children out of this."

While Jeremiah's color drained from his skin, Kara and Eliza were heading to their favorite spot. Neither had brought up the issue yet, neither sure they wanted to. Instead Kara focused on the radio.

Eliza groaned.

"I am not listening to rap music."

"I'm driving, please do not change the station."

Eliza changed the station. Kara changed it back.

"I can't understand a word they are saying." the mother complained. "You never sing like this or play like this. Why do you listen to it?"

"How do you know I don't rap? I know the lyrics to every rap battle in Eight Mile."

Eliza cringed. "You have seen that movie? You enjoyed it?"

Kara smiled, remembering her first days after meeting Alex.

"Eight Mile was the first human movie I had ever seen."

"No," Eliza disagreed. "the Notebook was. I came home and found you in tears."

"Right, but when I was sneaking into our house on the down low, Alex showed me Eight Mile. I learned quite a bit about human mating rituals in the back of a factory. I also learned that there is no such thing as halfway crooks. That little fact helped me greatly in my later crime fighting career."

Eliza laughed, loving as always when Kara was like this and she had been more and more like this as the months had gone by. Controlling her temper was by far the greatest stride her and Leslie had made. She still became angry but caught it quickly.

She wondered now how angry Kara would be if Jeremiah kept something important from her.

"So," the woman started off carefully, "I am guessing Barry isn't here to ask your father for your hand in marriage."

Kara shook her head. "Dad should have started discussions with potential suitors when I was 15, 16 at the latest. That ship has sailed."

Eliza looked at her, trying to determine if she was serious. Apparently, she was.

"16? Really?"

"At the latest. Alex said it probably wouldn't be a good idea to bring it up to him, plus I didn't have an abundance of suitable mates."

Eliza agreed, remembering the boys she went to school with. In her mind, not one of them was good enough for her. It was the same way she felt about Cameron Chase though she never said a word.

"Okay, before we get to the Gardens and I enter my Zen state, let's get it out in the open. Something bad is going down, something he is going to want you and Dd to keep from me and Alex. If not, he would have approached Alex. Dad will be honest, won't he?"

Eliza nodded her head. "That's our agreement, and you are going to keep another thing in mind. No more jumping into situations without thinking it through. Whatever he has to say, advice is all he is going to get and you are not becoming involved, no matter what. Understand?"

Kara knew it wouldn't be that simple. "If Bruce didn't come himself its because he is busy preparing for something big. What if it's something they can't handle? What if it is Zod? What if he found his way to Earth?"

"That's what Rao created Kryptonite for. They can handle it." Eliza reminded her. "No jumping into anything, Kara. You have done well, we all have. We talk about things rationally. Jeremiah will tell us the truth tonight. For right now, we are going to relax and enjoy the day."

Kara agreed then changed the station back to rap music, going along with the lyrics herself to prove her rapping skills.

Eliza realized that Kara somehow sounded worse than the music itself but said nothing. They would enjoy this day, no matter what. Who knew what the night would bring?

Jeremiah knew and they would all know soon enough.

Eliza watched Kara's mood closely at the Gardens. Her daughter had been doing well lately but still stayed mostly secluded to her house, their house or the Fortress. Today had been an attempt to get her out of her self-imposed shell and it had gone well. But she also knew that unplanned events did not sit well with the girl. Seeing Barry Allen today would have an effect on her, good or bad was too soon to tell. Knowing that something was happening and not sure what, that was another thing that could push her to a bout of depression.

Kara had not had a serious incident in over a month. Her side effects, other than sluggishness, were gone, even her appetite had improved. Eliza did occasionally get the idea that Kara ate to make her happy but whatever reason was fine. With a red sun device on, she needed to eat, no matter what was going through her veins. Gardner couldn't go without food and she doubted Kara could either.

She got out of bed, every morning, she laughed, found hobbies to keep her occupied and had gotten to the point the woman felt somewhat comfortable leaving her alone during the day and teaching a class this semester. Leslie still showed up twice a week and appeared happy when she left and Kara still went to meetings at least twice a week. She even drove herself now, though Jeremiah did follow once to make sure she actually attended.

The last time Kara had done so well, Doomsday showed up. The woman couldn't help but wonder what it would be this time to shatter her happiness.

"Do you think they are happy?" Kara asked, shaking her from her thoughts.

"Who Dear?"

"The animals here. I always hated zoos because of the cages. They were prison cells in my mind. But I never minded this place. I guess it's because it is so big and open. There are no bars between us and them, they live together in a natural habitat...but its still a cage isn't it? Its just a prettier one. Do you think they know? A lot of them are bred here. They have no idea of the world outside this glass structure. If they did, do you think they would want to experience it?"

The woman followed Kara's eyes to the top of the dome. Birds were flying, monkeys were playing at the top of giant trees, large butterflies of all colors floating around.

"I don't know, Kara. I know they are safer here. Here they aren't hunted by natural predators, but yes, I see your point."

Kara smiled, taking off her glasses for a second to wipe the moisture off.

"I made my own cages, didn't I? After my suicide attempt I felt like sometimes you would keep me in a cage if you could, but you didn't. I did it to myself. I still do sometimes. I hide. I built my perfect house, near the home I grew up in, but I am still hiding in my cage. I have been so scared of cages my whole life here, that I never realized I was building my own. I was a prisoner, a prisoner of fear, a prisoner to the drugs I took, the alcohol I drank, the rage inside me. I stayed away from people, never looking anyone in the eye. I did that. I built my own cages and every time I thought I was free, I was just changing cages. That's why I think these animals are happy maybe. I feel safer in my cages. I know what the world is like and want no part of it. I can't be sure about these beautiful creatures. They never had the choice."

Eliza wrapped her arm around the girl, bringing her in tightly.

"Maybe we all make our own cages but the important thing is we can leave whenever we want. You can to. It doesn't have to be a cage you make yourself to feel safe. You are always safe at home, but you have to experience life, Kara. You are getting there. Just the fact that you are asking these questions shows me you are getting there. As far as these animals, I don't know what they would do if given the choice. Please don't become an ecoterrorist. For me?"

Kara laughed and the two began to walk, holding hands and taking in the scenes they had seen hundreds of times but never gotten tired of.

Nothing was said when the four made their way home. Jeremiah did not bother to drop the girls off at their house. There was no point. They had sworn an oath to no longer keep secrets from each other and no matter how badly he wanted to keep this one, the man knew he couldn't. On the one hand, he was glad to know ahead of time so Kara wouldn't hop head first into anything based on a split second decision. On the other he hated the knowledge of what was coming and having to share it with his girls and Clark for that matter. Clark was doing well, playing football this fall and making friends who came over often. He was enjoying the smaller town life finally.

He also knew his son was a year away from the age Kara landed and remembered her determination to save the world at 13. Jeremiah had no doubt Clark would begin needing to be talked down from action soon enough.

Clark arrived home after football practice, sweaty and dirty. After he walked in he reached to his ankle band under his sock and pulled it off, the underside glowing a bright red.

"That's better. I took a few hard shots today. Nothing like instant healing. What's for dinner?"

Eliza couldn't help but grin at her growing boy. He had an infectious personality that attracted other children to him.

"Nothing yet, son. We need to have a family meeting and then we will order pizza." Jeremiah told him.

Clark looked at the four, noting that Jess wasn't here.

"What did you do?" he asked Kara.

"I didn't do anything brat." she replied, not amused.

"What did you do?" he asked Alex.

"Back off Stinky. Not me."

"That's not good. What did I do?"

Jeremiah shook his head. "Sit down, Clark. No one did anything wrong. I found out some information today and we all need to talk about it calmly. Everyone understand?"

Seeing no dissension, he took a deep breath and began.

"There is an invasion coming in a few months, maybe two, maybe three. Its a race called Diasporans. There are over six hundred warships and possibly a hundred thousand soldiers. They only have one goal, to end all life on Earth."

Kara nodded her head, not surprised, and looked her father in the eyes.

"Of course they do. So...what are we going to do about it?"


	44. Chapter 44

**Do not own DC or CW characters**

 **Chapter 44 Come Together**

"Before we can make any decisions, we need to know more." Kara told her assembled family. "We are missing something. A lot of somethings. Word hasn't reached the universe about my retirement speech. Aliens had already started abandoning Earth right after I became a Red Lantern. Diaspora is almost as far away as Ysmault. To gather that many ships and move so quickly, they must have started right after they found out I was a Red Lantern."

"Yeah, that is strange." Alex agreed. "You got a red ring, you turned an unstoppable killing machine to dust, you invaded Mars and killed White Martians with ease. But you have been Supergirl for seven years. Even if they heard you retired they know you aren't dead. Why did they wait until you were more powerful than ever before? They could have attacked anytime in the past and tried their luck."

Jeremiah agreed with his daughters. None of this made sense. Barry made it seem as if their motives were obvious. They destroyed life on planets. According to John Stewart, they had done so six times but never colonized. What was the point? Why would a peaceful race with a pacifist leader suddenly turn into genocidal maniacs? Even the White Martians had a reason for their eradication of the Greens. They wanted to be the only species on the planet. This army wasn't bothering to take planets.

"They are coming because you are a Red Lantern, as least as far as they know." Jeremiah guessed. "Maybe they think you are a danger, and have decided to try and take you out?"

Alex shook her head. "The Guardians would have already tried. Those short bastards probably know if they sent the Greens after her she could probably take them all and would also have Gardner and the Reds at her back. They know they won't be challenging just Kara. If she were to fight them, and I am not saying she should by any means, her and her new red friends would wipe them out, no matter how many ships they bring. Its suicide on their part. Even if they win, they really have nothing to gain."

Kara picked up her phone. "Kelex, send out the two deep space probes, have them track the Diasporans path and call Lobo and ask him over...no you can't sit in on family meetings...you are listening anyway...yeah, go ahead and order pizzas. I have a feeling its going to be a late night. Lobo likes anchovies so order a couple for him."

Three hours later Lobo sat on the couch while the girls and Clark sat on the floor due to the man taking all the space.

"I wondered when you would call. I knew Jeremiah wouldn't keep it from you. Not that I have much contact with Bruce's friends lately but I listen in. Bruce sent Barry, huh?" the Czarnian asked.

Kara was confused, thinking Lobo still dealt with Bruce on a regular basis. "What do you mean, you don't have much contact with them?"

Lobo sort of wished he hadn't said that. Kara and Alex wouldn't be happy.

"I got a contract with Connolly and Webb. I'm helping them prepare for this little situation we all got coming. Kara, you are going to have to trust me. Let me be the hero this time. I don't have heat vision but you know I can fight a war. I talked to Gardner yesterday. Its all going to be okay."

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked.

Lobo shrugged his massive shoulders. "I mean we got this. He has been keeping the Reds away from Earth since you tamed that ring, said he doesn't want to tempt you. I spoke to him and he said all you had to do was hang out in the Fortress for a while until your crew takes care of it. Once the Diasporans get near Earth the Reds are going to attack. I'll be up there in my ship with them. They won't get near Earth's atmosphere."

Alex wasn't sure about this. The Reds were powerful no doubt but nowhere near her little sister's level. The five had gotten taken down by Doomsday fairly easy. "Which Reds are coming?"

"All of them. Gardner is bringing the 202 Red Lanterns currently residing on Ysmault and preparing for war. Once the Diasporans get close, we take them out. I heard Jordan actually grew a pair and him, Rayner and Cruz are standing with Stewart. They may have been useless to us in the past but this is their home planet. If we need more help Alex knows how to use your special weapons you got hidden around the world. You just relax."

Kara nearly laughed. He made it sound so easy. She also knew Lobo. Despite his bravado he was keeping something back.

"You know what makes our relationship great? You know why we are friends, Lobo?"

The man knew. 'Because we don't bullshit each other." he admitted, knowing his game was up. "You want to know what I am holding back from you, right?"

No one aid anything, Kara and Alex waiting and Eliza and Jeremiah wanting him to hold back whatever he was about to say.

Lobo looked at the parents then Kara and Alex. Kara was right, they had never lied to each other. If he had suspected her drinking problem had gotten so bad, he knew she would have told him if he asked. The two had a connection. They understood each other, so he really had no choice.

"I'm guessing you have already launched your deep space probes. I launched mine a week ago and caught them at the last wormhole. They are a bit behind schedule. Seems the whole fleet made a stop at a small, little known dead planet in Sector 417 called Mazon. I'm guessing you recognize the name."

Kara and Alex both felt a shiver. There was no reason for them to stop there unless they were picking something, or someone, or multiple people or things up.

Jeremiah didn't miss the looks on his daughters' faces. "What is this Mazon? Why have I never heard of it?"

"Because you never studied the Kryptonian history files." Kara explained. "Mazon was one of hundreds of uninhabited planets that Krypton tried to terraform to expand the culture. None of them were ever successful but Mazon was the largest attempt. The planet held a breathable atmosphere for a hundred or so years and colonists were able to build cities. But the atmosphere was burned out, unable to be sustained. Thousands of Kryptonians died and the project was abandoned, along with Krypton's attempts to colonize uninhabited planets. The remains of multiple cities, large cities are on that planet."

"If they stopped there, something must have been on the planet that they wanted." Alex concluded.

"Or someone." Kara added. "Mom, when you went over the DNA structures and mutations of the Worldkillers last year...did it seem like they would need a yellow sun to power them?"

Eliza shook her head. "Zor El designed them to be monsters, just like Doomsday, not Kryptonians. They would be more powerful under a yellow sun but they would still be able to survive without breathing. They would be in a constant state of regeneration like you are in space, only their regeneration was designed. But we are jumping to a lot of conclusions. What are the chances one of them would be on that planet?"

Kara thought for a moment. "If they lived, if Zor El did not destroy them on Krypton, and they were sent off into space...it makes sense that they would look for Kryptonian remains. They very well could be there, one or more. Zor El could have put them there himself. I'm just thinking worst case scenario."

"The king went down to the planet himself." Lobo added. "This invasion is different. He has never left the planet from what Stewart and I discovered when we went searching. His armies attack on his orders but he never leads an invasion. He is on a flagship this time. My drones didn't get good shots before they were disintegrated by one of their fighters but I know a heavily armed transport left his Flagship. It had to be him."

Kara and Alex glanced at each other, both confused and becoming more worried by the second. Alex voiced their concerns.

"The Worldkillers are monsters... he wouldn't be able to recruit them. He couldn't control them anymore than Atrocitus could control Doomsday."

Kara disagreed. "Doomsday started out a monster. By the time the Worldkiller program was started, Zor El was mixing Kryptonian DNA with mutations. They may very well have minds, especially if they tracked down an old Kryptonian outpost."

Jeremiah did not want to believe this. He may have not have read the history archives of Krypton but he had an in depth knowledge of Zor El's experiments. The thought that those four could be recruited by the Diasporans scared the hell out of him. "How would this King even know how to find them? Why would they follow him? They wouldn't have a reason to. They may be designed for battle but they aren't followers. That is why Zod never wanted them."

Kara and Alex may as well have shared a mind. They both had the exact same thought and said it at the same time.

"Worldkiller 1."

Lobo hadn't heard of this Worldkiller though he only knew the other four from Kara's databanks. The Universe as far as he knew never heard of them. The Lanterns may have been known by some and rumored by others because of their penchant for staying out of interplanetary fights but no one ever spoke of Kryptonian mutants on the loose. It seems like they would have made a noise here or there.

"What the hell? You girls gave these other freaks nicknames but gave this one a number? You run out of ideas or what?"

"Because the first Worldkiller Zor El attempted to make, the records were all but gone." Alex told him. "We only know there was one. Reign was the second, but one came before her. We have no idea of what it could look like, what powers it might have, where it was sent or if it was destroyed, we know nothing, just an entry in his log that had been erased for the most part."

Kara had an idea. "What if one of its powers is a shapeshifter? Lobo, Barry told Dad that the Diasporans were a peaceful race until ten or so years ago. The King went from pacifist to conqueror for some unknown reason. What if the king isn't the king?"

Lobo thought about it, not liking what he was coming up with. "Let's say the theory is right and the king is some kind of shapeshifter. There are a lot of shifters in the universe. Doesn't mean it's this Worldkiller Uno."

"No," Alex admitted, "but it would explain why the Diasporans stopped at an old Kryptonian outpost, and if the Worldkillers are imprisoned there, how he would know about them and give them a reason to follow him. We have to look at this from a worst case scenario viewpoint."

Eliza wouldn't believe this. Doomsday still gave her nightmares. This would not happen.

"Maybe the two of you are just seeing what you ... you and Alex have been afraid of the Worldkillers and Brainiac since you found out they could all be alive. Maybe you are just jumping to conclusions because of your fear?" she suggested and hoped. "Either way, you can't fight them, Kara. You went through some black magic ritual to tame that ring. If you use it, you may never get control back. That means no more long term red sun devices, constantly being tempted, never having the control over your anger you have been working so hard on."

"I can fight without the ring. I'm still...me. I don't need a ring to..." Kara stopped speaking, seeing the looks on her family's faces.

She took a deep breath to center herself. "I won't get involved unless it looks like I have no choice. We can all agree on that, right? I don't want to fight, but I also don't want to see the world die. Billions of lives lost, probably because some King wants to suddenly take a shot at the new Red Lantern, or maybe force me to serve him to keep Earth safe. That's not going to happen. We can all agree on that, right?"

"The Justice League and the DEO can handle it." Jeremiah insisted. "If we fight, we do it from the Fortress, with the weapons you designed and built and support them. That's it. You developed those weapons to distract Brainiac long enough to get us off planet if he showed up. We are jumping to a whole lot of conclusions anyway. Lobo can keep us updated. The closer they get, we will have a better understanding of them. Bruce can handle this. He formed a team to handle it so you and Alex wouldn't have to fight anymore."

Kara decided he was right. They had a couple months, maybe three if they had to make a stop. She and Alex's theory may be completely off the mark.

Then why did she have such a feeling of dread, foreboding?

"How are Diana and the Justice League planning on handling it? What is their plan?" the blonde asked her large friend.

Everyone saw Lobo had that look again. The look that said he knew something but didn't want to say it.

"They aren't exactly getting along at the moment." he admitted. "That's why I'm working with Connolly. I figured it's what you would do." he told the blonde.

Kara stood up and walked to the window, looking out into the dark to calm herself. She knew what she was about to hear had the potential to make her angry.

"Tell me everything, Lobo."

After listening, Kara had no doubt that her retirement would be short lived.

Two days later, Alex waited in their house for Leslie. The woman was nothing if not punctual. After hearing of the dissent between Connolly's DEO team and the Justice League, the older sister seemed more certain than ever that Kara would get involved in the coming battle. Alex was more determined than ever to keep her out. The family had not come to a consensus after Lobo left on what to do, so agreed to table it until they had more information. Kara even admitted that she could be wildly speculating on the presence of the Worldkillers and that Eliza could be right that she was jumping to the worst case scenario. The blonde seemed genuine. Alex would have felt better if she had a promise from Kara not to get involved no matter what but that didn't happen.

She just had no idea how to drill this in Kara's head. Admitting she was out of her league, Alex waited for the one woman who seemed to have the most impact on Kara since the Block.

The older sister opened the door at 9 AM to find Leslie driving up in her rental car.

The doctor nodded good morning and brushed past Alex then stopped, seeing the empty living room.

"Where the hell is she? She is always in the living room with that look like she is about to walk into a dentist's office."

Alex cleared her throat and tried to control the anxiety she felt about what the woman was about to say.

"I uh...I told her you called and said you would be an hour late. She is in the Fortress monitoring the path of some probes we launched into space. I... wanted to talk to you...alone, if that's okay?"

Leslie looked at her suspiciously. Alex had never expressed an interest in talking to her before.

"It's not. Go through your little laser door and tell her to get in here. I just bought a house in Destin, Florida. I need to be there this afternoon when my furniture is delivered."

"Please?" Alex tried.

Leslie saw the girl appeared desperate and thought about having mercy on her.

"No. Get the blonde Danvers. I'll be in her room. Hurry up."

Alex had one last ditch effort, one card left to play. "There is an alien invasion coming in two to three months. Hundreds of warships, hundreds of thousands of hostile aliens. I'll tell you all about it if you just give me a moment."

Dr. Thompkins was caught off guard by that statement. Unlike Kara, Alex wasn't known for dramatics from what she had observed, and the woman observed quite a bit more than the Danvers suspected.

"So what you are telling me is I need to get a huge home owners insurance policy but I shouldn't have to worry about paying property taxes this year?"

"Damn it woman! I need to talk to you. Stop jerking me around!"

Leslie wasn't a fan of outbursts directed at her but the girl did seem desperate. She supposed she could spare a few moments of her time if it meant determining whether she should get a huge insurance policy or just sale the house outright and hide in a bunker. She motioned for Alex to follow her upstairs.

Once the two had a seat, Alex got straight to the point.

"The Red Lanterns are coming to fight this invasion. Over 200 of them. That's a lot of red energy being thrown around the Earth. If Kara gets involved she could be lost. I know she is going to want to get involved. I want you to tell me how to stop her. She listens to you. You have gotten through to her in a way no one else has in her life. I know you don't want to see her progress come undone. How can we stop her?"

Leslie thought about this and had no idea. If an invasion of thousands of hostile aliens was coming, it would most likely be impossible to keep her out of it.

"Have Alfred drug her again and keep her prisoner in the Block." Leslie suggested.

Alex grabbed her hair, wanting to scream.

"I didn't ask how to kidnap her, I asked how to stop her."

"You can't. You don't have what it takes. I could tell you what it takes if you were my patient but I would have to check with Bruce to see if he would pay double, maybe more. You are in worse shape than Kara."

Alex was taken back by that statement. Worse than Kara?

"I don't need more therapy. I need help with her."

Leslie chuckled. "That's why you need drugs to help you sleep at night? You think meds are enough for you? Or maybe talking about Kara with Jessica, which I have no doubt you do. Kara may lose herself to her emotions but you are worse. You keep yours bottled up. You couldn't handle being my patient. You want me to tell you how to talk Kara out of something? Try being honest with her."

That caught Alex off guard. She was always honest with Kara. The family had made a promise to always be open with each other months ago.

"I am always honest with her."

"No you aren't. If you were my patient, you would know that. I can't help you be honest, as long as you are the way you are."

Alex clenched her fists, trying to control herself.

"So to help me, I have to see you , but first you have to ask Bruce if he will pay you more? Screw it. When she loses yourself again, you can ask Bruce how much he will pay you then."

Alex stood up, moving towards the door.

"I told you that you don't have what it takes. You are too scared to be honest with Kara and yourself."

Alex turned slowly back to the woman, the look on her face nearly threatening.

"I am not scared of anything but Kara getting wrapped up in the Red Lantern business and fighting an invasion she may not be able to win."

Leslie smiled at her and waved towards her vacated seat. Alex looked at her for a few moments and moved back to the chair.

The woman leaned forward and looked Alex in the eyes.

"You think you have been honest with her? You think you aren't in worse shape than she is because you aren't an addict? Let's do a quick test. If you can answer a simple question honestly, I will help you out, provided you see me as often as she does. I am willing to bet my soon to be destroyed beach house that you can't be honest. Want to take the challenge?"

"I don't want your damn house. If I answer honestly, I want you to talk to her, convince her to stay out of it, and help me to convince her to stay out of it."

The woman shrugged her shoulders and grinned. "Those are my terms. Answer the question honestly and we can do something about trying to sort out your wreck of a life. Maybe if you learn to be honest with her, you can talk her out of it. Anything is possible."

Alex thought about it for a moment. She had nothing to lose and it wasn't like this was a binding contract. She didn't need therapy from this she devil but she did need her insight into her little sister.

"Fine. Ask your question."

"How angry are you at Kara? How truly angry are you at her?" the woman asked, the grin gone, replaced by a poker face Kara had seen often.

"I'm not angry at her. She has been doing everything we asked, trying hard and..."

"You are lying."

"I am not." Alex told her. "I am trying to protect her!"

Leslie raise an eyebrow. "You always have since the day you found her. You have had her back, supported her in everything, loved her, held her when she was sad, had a wrecked romantic relationship because you placed her above all else. So are you really going to say you felt no anger when she cut her wrists two years ago? You aren't mad in the least that she spit on everything you had done for her and planned to die in a bloody manner in a place she knew you would find her? That didn't bother you? She didn't even leave a note. It hasn't bothered you that instead of talking to you, she drowned her feelings in alcohol, snorted powder, started cutting herself without letting anyone know, especially you who she is supposed to have no secrets from? It doesn't make you angry that she lied to you for years about what she was doing, despite you putting her on a pedestal and caring about her more than yourself? If that is true you should be up for sainthood. But its not true and you can't even face it. Did you ever talk about it in therapy with Jessica? Or have you ignored it, forgave her, let her do whatever she wanted to the point that you had to kidnap her to save her life?"

Alex was speechless for a moment, not sure what to say. She had never been asked about it. Of course her and Jessica had talked about it but never in depth. Alex didn't like to think about it and Jessica understood that.

"You gave her your birthday, your room, your family, all of your devotion and she tried to throw it all away." Leslie continued. "Tell me Alex, how angry at her are you? Because if it was me, I would be pretty damn pissed off. How did you feel when you found out that she nearly killed herself again making that floating toaster take the crystal out of her body so she could fight a monster she knew she couldn't beat?"

"I...I don't know." she answered.

"Yes, you do. You are furious and you keep it bottled up inside with the rest of your trauma. You have seen as many bad things as she has. You have put your life on the line for her hundreds of times, killed God knows how many aliens for her. That has never affected you? What about getting shot down while watching her get beaten to death? Never bothered you? You've gotten over it? If you can't even admit that to me when I already know, how the hell are you ever going to be honest with her?"

Alex wasn't sure what to say. She did her best not to think about these things. Kara had enough problems without her adding to them.

"The two of you are probably never going to have a romantic relationship with anyone. You are both too traumatized. You both place the other above all else. She would rather live in this house with you forever than ever be in a relationship and you are the same. You really aren't angry at her for all the crap she has put you through?"

"Yes! Is that what you want to hear? Yes, I am angry. I was angry then and still am but saying anything is going to do her no good!"

"It might do you some good. How angry are you?" Leslie asked again.

"I...I am... I don't even know, okay? I am furious at her!"

"But you love her too much to say anything, don't you? Now tell me, are you really honest with her?"

Alex tried to control her breathing, to stop herself from trembling, but wasn't having any success.

"You know what she has been through." the girl finally said, almost so quietly it could have been a whisper. "She has always been there for me, through everything."

Leslie smiled, glad she had the girl opening up. There may be hope for her yet, she decided.

"You really think she has been there for you through everything? Was she going to comfort you when you found her dead body? What about you, Alex? What about what you have gone through? It must be horrible to have to constantly watch out for a girl who has no regard for her own life, much less the trauma you have gone through. She has told me many stories of your adventures. If I had lived them, I would have nightmares, probably never sleep again. Yet you lied to her to talk to me today, all so I can give you advice about her, as usual. You think you could be my patient? You don't know who you are. Neither of you know who you are without the other. I doubt you ever will, but you aren't honest with each other either. That's going to eventually tear your relationship apart, make it one of lies instead of honesty. Tell her whatever you want, give her reason after reason to stay out of this mess, but it won't matter. Not until the two of you can really communicate. Would you really be able to put in that work? That's what it will be. Work. Hard work and it will go against every instinct in you. I will challenge you, I will make you so angry you might scream. If you can do that, learn to really express your feelings to her, maybe you have a shot of stopping her and maybe you have a chance at saving yourself and having an honest relationship with the sister you put above all else."

Alex said nothing. She wasn't sure what to say. Everything the damn woman had said was true. Alex had always let Kara get away with whatever she wanted. So had her father. Eliza was the only one who ever really called her out and even she had her limits. Alex honestly didn't know what to say so she fell back on her standard answer.

"I'll do whatever..."

"Don't you dare tell me you will do whatever it takes to help Kara. I don't mind wasting Bruce Wayne's money but I do mind wasting my time. If you ever want to heal, you do it for you. I am not Jessica Ryan. I won't have you keep a dream journal. I will push you hard. Now tell me, can you do it, or are you too afraid?"

"What do I have to do?"

Leslie shrugged her shoulders dismissively. "I can't tell you that until I decide if I would be wasting my time trying to help you. You aren't as unaffected by everything as you pretend to be. I have had to practically bully Kara to get her to open up, and I'm not sure I have the energy to do it to both of you. If we do this, you had better open up or you are done and so are the chances of the two of you ever having an open, honest relationship. You are always going to be traumatized and live your life in misery. Both of you will. You two are stuck together. The question is, are you going to be happy about it or not? Tell me Alex, are you worth my time?"

"I...I never asked you for therapy. That's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Yes, it is. You knew I had nothing to give you in regard to your little sister. You wanted to talk to me for this reason. I ask again, are you worth my time? Can you really commit? I don't have the energy to push you the way I push Kara. I'm retired."

"Yes." Alex finally told her. She had no idea how this conversation had happened. This was not the way she planned this.

Leslie Thompkins was right though. Alex had been furious at Kara for a long time. She loved her deeply so she hid her pain and anger. She always had to be the strong one. This invasion brought those feelings back though.

Leslie looked closely at her, deciding Alex was being truthful.

"You lie to me and this is over. You better think about what you are going to say before you say it, understand?"

Alex nodded her head and Leslie let out a breath, one she wasn't sure if it was relief or resignation. Time would tell.

"Fine. I guess I will take you on. We have thirty minutes left. Let's start with an easy one. Why did you wait until you were 18 to tell your parents you were gay?"

Thirty minutes later a pale and shaking Alex walked out of Kara's room to meet her sister in the hallway.

"Alex? Are you okay? You don't look so good. Are you getting sick?"

Alex shook her head. "I fought a Coluan who could turn her arms into long blades. I fought a White Martian, I fought Jemm when he escaped his cell, I have fought nearly every species of aliens. I have never been as scared of anyone in my life as I am of that woman. She is waiting on you."

Alex walked away shakily, not saying anymore so Kara walked in.

Having a seat across from Leslie, she got straight to the point. "What did you do? Why does Alex look like that?"

'Because I am probably going to save her life whether she likes it or not. Its time to talk about you. You have always said you put your family before the world. Why the hell are you considering screwing them over again by fighting an alien invasion?"

Three days later, Alex entered the Fortress after work, prepared for Kara's next session and debating whether she should attempt to manipulate the perfect balance she had so far achieved for her little sister's crystal tiaras to make her more relaxed. She found Kara and Kelex standing by Justin intently looking at a screen.

Taking a deep breath and considering sending Kelex away but knowing it wouldn't matter, Alex decided she couldn't put it off much longer. She needed to talk to Kara. She needed to be brave, not afraid to express her feelings about her sister's actions in the past and what she suspected her actions would be in the near future.

"Kara...after the session, can we talk? I have some things I have been thinking about...Kara?"

Kara never turned to her, standing as unmoving as a stone, as if she hadn't heard her.

"Kara?"

Kara lifted a hand and Alex didn't miss that the hand was shaking. With a finger she waved Alex towards the screen of the giant tubular computer.

The older sister had a bad feeling about this.

"What am I looking at? All I see is darkness." she told Kara.

"Because they are running with no outward lights in stealth mode. There isn't enough light from any nearby stars to light the figures. Watch the far stars in the back and you will see enough coverage to be able to tell the ships are passing."

Alex did notice the far distant specs of light were blinking in and out more than normal.

This was the invasion force.

"How did you find them so quickly?"

"I used Lobo's path and took a few shortcuts. The drones were able to track down some smaller tubes he didn't know about and move faster than his. They are six weeks away at the longest, maybe five. The hyper drives are more powerful than he suspected. That isn't what concerns me. Kelex back the video five minutes and 26 seconds and freeze."

The video shifted immediately, still nothing but complete darkness except for one spec of light near what was obviously a ship.

"So one ship has a running light." Alex saw, admitting that was weird. Normally they would all have one as a double insurance policy that they would not strike each other in the event the formation failed.

"Zoom Kelex. Stop wasting our time."

Alex watched with growing trepidation as the image from the crystal probe became clearer.

That was no speck of light, it was a person.

Of a sort.

"Flower of Heaven." Alex whispered.

"I was high when I named her that." Kara admitted quietly. "It gets worse. Kelex show the figures, take out the darkness around the ships, focus on her opposite side and the glow."

And image appeared, almost a shadow outline, just above the glowing creature. As Kelex continued to play with resolution and using the dim distant light from the Worldkiller another creature became clear. Alex could only see the face, just over Heaven's shoulder.

It was a female's face, of a sort, one that resembled a demon. It was misshapen, its eyes were black holes but some of the long dark hair could be seen. There was no mistaking the skull of the creature, the forehead rising up, nearly forming horns.

"It's Reign." Alex whispered, beginning to shiver herself.

"The other two, Deimax and Perrilus, can't be far behind, just far enough back that Heaven's glow won't shed light on them or side by side with Reign. They are keeping pace with the armada. It's happening. The Worldkillers are coming. This changes things, Alex."

Alex said nothing for a moment, her long talk she had planned for Kara near forgotten now. Kara had taken out five Red Lanterns and four Green Lanterns with ease. Suddenly two hundred Red Lanterns against eight hundred ships and five creatures who were as strong as her sister without her ring did not give her hope.

The Earth was screwed. There was only one person powerful enough to stop them all. That person was her little sister with a ring that glowed bright red. Without it, not even Kara could handle all five. Under a yellow sun, Reign would possibly be stronger than Kara. Kara was a little girl who absorbed solar radiation. Reign was an engineered monster who could absorb solar radiation.

"Damn it." Alex whispered, not knowing what else to say.

"We need to let Mom and Dad know then we are setting up a meeting with Connolly and Bruce. This petty feud they have going on has got to stop. This world...our home...we need to talk to them quickly."

Quickly was that night. The Danvers arrived at the Hangar in Raleigh in the family car and walked inside, pleased to see the Justice League minus Stewart, who was watching on video conference, had arrived along with Connolly's team including Lobo. The two factions did not look pleased to see each other, except for Lobo who seemed to find the situation humorous judging by the grin on his face.

Kara took control of the meeting first, glasses off and not hiding behind the Kara Danvers public facade.

"I would ask you all to pull out seats but you will want to be standing for this."

Batman looked disappointed but shouldn't have been surprised. He didn't like the idea of Barry talking to Jeremiah Danvers. It was obvious he had told his family everything.

Barry was very concerned. He hadn't thought he would get to see Kara again so soon but the look on her face killed any excitement he normally would have felt.

"My deep space probes found the Fleet. Their hyperdrives are faster than anticipated. They are moving at an incredible rate of speed. Enough that my probes only had to take a couple shortcuts to reach them and are having a hard time keeping up now while staying far enough back to avoid being picked up by scanners. We have six weeks by my estimate."

"So we have less time to get ready." Connolly said, not really worried. "We are making progress. I have been coordinating with NATO. We will be ready."

"I'll get in touch with Gardner..." Stewart began.

Kara interrupted him. "That's not the worst part. The Worldkillers are coming with them. I've seen two on my probes flying along with the Fleet. I have no doubt the other two are with them. Alex and I also have a theory about Worldkiller 1 you all need to hear."

The room became very still. Everyone there had read Kara's files on the Kryptonian experiments and hoped they would never find their way to Earth.

Kara explained her theory about the king of the Diasporans possibly being Worldkiller 1. She had the attention of everyone in the room.

Listening to her, Bruce and Barry both realized they could probably not win this fight alone, or even with the Red and Greens.

They were going to need Supergirl. Both men had hoped that she could retire in peace. Live a normal life in this world.

If the Worldkillers were involved it was possible there would be no world left for her or anyone to live in.

Alex cleared her throat to refocus everyone after Kara was done. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts and that was a big problem.

"Seven years ago, Kara decided to trust you guys no matter what." Alex reminded the DEO group but was looking at Connolly. "She then decided we needed more help. Lobo, Batman and Nightwing came aboard. A Czarnian, a Martian, eight humans and a Kryptonian raided an underwater ship that was designed to kill the human race, filled with alien mercenaries, a Coluan and a Kryptonian. We succeeded because as unlikely as our team was, we all had the same goal. Lobo has told me about this rivalry your factions are having, the tension, lack of trust and the reasons for it."

Neither side looked at Alex or each other.

"The time for games is over." Kara told them. "Reign alone is no joke. Perrilus...Diana, you might think only a god can kill another god but if one of it's tentacles strikes you, I promise you will wish you were dead. We don't even know what Worldkiller 1 can do. This world needs you all, working as one, not fighting. They are going to hit major population centers all over the world at once, a coordinated attack, designed to spread you thin. The Reds are powerful but they are not as powerful as the Worldkillers. None of you are. I'm not, I'm not enough to take them by myself and I promise you, Reign and Flower will stay in the air and attack from above. They aren't Doomsday. They are intelligent and vicious. They were made for these kinds of battles. I have no doubt because of that sphere they know all about what you can each do together and alone."

"How can you stop them?" Barry asked. "You will have to use the ring, right?"

"No. Maybe. We haven't talked about it." Kara told him, glancing at her parents and Alex. "But we will provide support and attack the Fleet. Alex and I have placed ten Ion canons in underwater areas around the world. These can fire large bolts of plasma that burn hotter than solar flares. We will be controlling them from the Fortress."

Barry stilled at that revelation. He thought he knew all of Kara's weapons. He was wrong. Jeremiah had not mentioned these during their talk about the Fortresses defenses.

"You have been planting weapons of mass destruction all over the world?" Batman asked, not sure if he should be angry or impressed.

"My weapons are not designed for mass destruction." Kara told him. "They are very precise and only destroy what I want them too. I had hoped to never use them. They were only to be used in the event that Brainiac showed up on Earth. They can take down whatever ship they hit. Kelex will be controlling the cannons. Mom and Dad are working on a virus, one designed on Krypton but repurposing it to our advantage. It may be our only way to defeat Reign. Diana, she is as strong as I was without the ring. Imagine fighting me after I took the ring but if I had my mind."

Diana kept her face stoic but inside worried. Fighting Kara with a red ring was a more difficult fight than Ares. Kara was stronger than Diana without the ring and with the ring, if she had been able to think in the battle, the Amazon knew she would have lost.

"Mom and Dad will keep you updated on more information we find. I don't want to get involved, but I don't want this world to die either. There isn't much point in retiring if I don't have a world to retire in. We will be discussing this at home no doubt over the next few weeks constantly. A plan needs to be developed to stop Reign. Deimax is a brute monster. He can be taken down by force, beaten to death but it will likely take Lobo, Arthur and Diana working together. Perrilus...she is fast. According to Zor El's archives her strikes are delivered so fast the victims won't see it coming. She does have a weakness though. She can be killed by her own tentacles. There is only one person fast enough to pull this off."

The room looked at Barry.

"You will have to sever her arms or stab her with her own venom." Alex told the Flash. "I'm not sure if that will work but its the only option I can think of. She is as fast as Kara, as fast as Diana. She isn't as fast as you. To hurt people she has to be near them just like Deimax. That means those two will be on the ground. Kara and I have been studying these monsters for years. You have our files, our battle plans. You know their strengths and weaknesses, except for Worldkiller 1. You will have ten big laser cannons supporting the assault in space."

"And if that isn't enough?" Stewart asked. "Reign is a genetically designed monster that can become even more powerful under a yellow sun. You are a girl who became powerful under a yellow sun. I doubt we could have taken you down in the past. What would you suggest we do with her?"

"Figure it out. I won't let this world die. If I must...I can fight without my ring. I don't want it to come to that."

"She would still be stronger than you." Stewart pointed out.

Kara was already annoyed the man even spoke and now he was questioning her. She could feel her heart start to race, her anger rising. Had it not been for Alex's treatments, Kara had no doubt she would have tracked this man down already.

"If she is, then I will show her my monster. Work together people. You need each other, and this distrust has to stop or this world will fall. The Flower is as dangerous as Reign. All of you, go over the files and come up with a plan. Bring Gardner in, bring Jordan since things are looking desperate. Do whatever it takes so I don't have to. Please."

No one said a word for a moment, until Connolly nodded his head.

"Yeah, we will Kara. I promise you. I give you my word. We don't want you or Alex involved in this fight."

"You have our promise as well." Diana told her.

Kara let out a sigh of relief, but she still felt in her heart she would have to become involved. She looked at all of them and knew they wouldn't be enough.

"Stewart, I understand the Guardians won't let any more Lanterns come to Earth's aid. Is this right?" Kara asked. She may not have liked the Green Lanterns but the Earth needed all the help it could get.

"Yeah." the man admitted, his frustration obvious. "They are angry at me for becoming involved in Earth's problems on a smaller scale. Jordan and the others will stand with us but they are alone."

"Send a message to your Guardians." Kara told him. "Tell them if I have to use my ring, after I am done with the Wordkillers, I am coming for them and I won't stop until Oa is as dead as Krypton."

No one in the room doubted her.

"I guess that is all we have to say." the blonde finished. "You have all the information we have. We aren't holding anything back. Gather everyone you can, anyone who can fight. Make sure Oliver Queen protects my statue in Star City. Bring NIghtwing into the fold and whoever he can find. This is going to be the biggest war this world has ever seen and if it lasts more than a few hours, we will have lost it. One strike has to end it. We have an advantage none of the other planets they have attacked had. We know they are coming."

Kara turned back to her parents and Alex grabbed Connolly by the arm pulling the confused man with her. He followed along suspecting the girls wanted to talk to him about something privately.

The trio walked into the room Kara had once spent time in her first days on Earth talking to J'onn. The Martian had followed them in.

Inside, sitting at the table was Dante.

"What is he doing here?" Connolly asked.

Kara pulled him to a chair and pushed him into a seat, despite not having her powers. The two men looked at each other briefly then back at the girls.

"You told me once, your guys were your family. Dante, you told me once that Alex was dedicated to me the way you were dedicated to your friends. Connolly, your team isn't complete. What happened in Metropolis was no one's fault. Get over it. Work it out and get your team back together. The five of you are supposed to be family. Right now, your family is broken. Alex and I need our protectors, our mentors, on the same page. Stay in here and work it out. Please, for us, work it out. J'onn, don't let them leave this room until they do."

The two girls walked out, leaving the three men alone. They joined their parents in the car and began the trip back to Midvale.

Once they arrived home, glad to see that Clark had obeyed and not gone flying or done anything else reckless, they sat in the living room and absorbed everything that had happened tonight in silence.

Eliza was the one to speak.

"Kara, you can't be involved." she told her youngest daughter.

"I don't want to be." the blonde admitted. "But answer one question for me. If you saw a child being attacked, beaten on the street, would you do nothing, or everything you could to save that child? If you stood there and did nothing, would you be as guilty as the person doing it? I'm not saying I will, but we have a lot to think about. I won't jump into this, not this time. We all know we have a lot to talk about. Forget about the world. If it came down to me staying out of it at the expense of Clark's friends dying, what would you tell me to do?"

Eliza thought for a moment, hoping Jeremiah would step in and say something. At that moment she had no idea what to say.

"Diana can beat Reign." she decided, hoping it was true.

"Diana couldn't beat me. She may be able to hurt Reign like she could hurt me but in a real fight she would never get the chance. Reign can stay a thousand feet in the sky and all of Diana's powers won't mean a thing. She will have her hands full with Deimax regardless. It will take her and Curry to stop that monster. It is probably nearly as strong as Doomsday. Unless we can come up with some plan...I don't know. I don't know what to do." Kara admitted.

Jeremiah stood up.

"Right now, I think we can all use some sleep. Tomorrow morning we are meeting in the Fortress. We will talk about this, all of us and come to a decision together. No matter what, we will abide by that decision, understand Kara?"

The girl nodded her head. "Yes Dad. Whatever we decide as a family, I will go along with."

Even as she said it, Kara wondered if it was true or just another lie she was telling herself and her family.


	45. Chapter 45

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Only about two or three chapters left! Also a big thanks to AsgardianBlade who has been a great help these last few chapters and has agreed to be a beta for the remainder of this story and the one after. If you are into Once Upon a Time like I am check out her story the Heart of Redemption.

 **Chapter 45 Sparring Sessions**

"Can we talk?" Kara asked.

"Of course we can talk. We do live together. It would be kind of awkward not to talk." Alex tried, forcing a playful tone into her voice.

Kara took a slow breath. Alex had seen Leslie earlier that day, right before she had, and she looked as bad when she came out as she did three days before. Going through therapy with Leslie Thompkins could be a traumatizing experience in itself.

Kara motioned to the couch where the two sat side by side, as they often did.

"You said you were having trouble sleeping and started taking sedatives. Mom mentioned that you had some anxiety issues and were talking to Veritas about some meds. I assumed you were still seeing Jessica over the laptop. If you are, why were you talking to Leslie before my session four days ago? Why did you meet with her again today? What's going on? It must be bad if you would voluntarily speak to her. Talk to me. I know this invasion has you worried but we have been in bad situations before. Why now, why her? What happened?"

Alex didn't meet Kara's eyes, leaning forward and staring at the hardwood floors instead.

"I needed...she...I needed to come to terms with some things, I needed...I needed someone who was an outsider to help me see things clearer."

"Like what?" Kara asked carefully.

The older sister sat back and took Kara's hand.

"I'm angry and I am scared. I am...this isn't the right time." the brunette decided.

"Yes, it is." Kara insisted. "If something is bothering you, then you should talk to me."

To Kara's surprise, Alex laughed.

"Alex?"

"Sorry. I just found that funny. In the past, yeah, no doubt I would talk to you, but now things are different I guess."

Kara was surprised by that and a bit confused, if not hurt. She had done everything Alex had asked since she was drugged and taken to the Block.

"Things are not different. Tell me what's wrong. You aren't going to feel comfortable talking to her about something you can't tell me about. We used to have therapy sessions together, remember? We had no secrets and I thought...I thought we were getting back to that. I realize I haven't been..."

Alex removed her hand and told her to stop.

"I have always told you that you owe me nothing, right?"

Kara nodded her head slowly.

"I was wrong. You do owe me something. You owe me an apology."

The blonde swallowed and noted her mouth was becoming a bit dry. She had no idea where this was going, but it couldn't be good.

"I'm...sorry?" she tried, not sure what she was apologizing for but having no doubt that she had done something wrong.

"What did you think would happen to me?" Alex asked, looking away.

Not sure what they were talking about still, Kara shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure I am following. What are we talking about?"

Alex clenched her fists and closed her eyes.

"We all left to go to work. If Mom hadn't insisted on checking on you, do you know what would have happened? I would have come home, walked straight to the bathroom, tripped over your dead body. and landed in your blood. That's what I would have found. I wouldn't have known why. I would have to explain it to Clark, live with the nightmares, wonder what I had done wrong, what I could have done differently, woken up screaming at night, living the rest of my life wondering why. What did you think would happen to me? You didn't even leave a note. You went to the damn bathroom and did what you wanted and expected me to clean up the mess, didn't you? You didn't talk to me for weeks after you lived. Afterward you kept more secrets than before and that is saying something. You didn't tell me about the drug use or cutting...or...anything. I want to hear you say you are sorry."

Kara said nothing for a few moments, her eyes beginning to sting. Alex still wasn't looking at her, so Kara carefully reached across and took her hand again.

"I thought we had worked past this. When..."

"You have never told me you were sorry, not once. What about Doomsday? You didn't take a second to try and call me. You cut off the com so you couldn't hear me until I showed up at the fight. Everything I have done for you, I have never asked for anything but your trust. You shut me out. You could have died getting that crystal out. Did it matter to you? Did you think about anything besides what you wanted to do right then and there?"

"Alex, I had to put a stop..."

"Just stop it!" Alex snapped. pulling her hand away. "I don't want excuses. I want a damn apology and I want you to mean it. I want to trust you again. I want to feel like we are a team again, not me having to worry about protecting you from yourself all the time. I have given you everything I have, and I want an apology for hurting me. You promised me you wouldn't take yourself away from me when you were 14 and you did."

Kara shook her head, taken back by this conversation. A part of her knew that Leslie had everything to do with this but what Alex was saying wasn't wrong.

"You are right. I did do what I wanted and didn't think about how it would affect everyone, especially you. I am sorry. I know I owe you a lot, and I didn't know this was bothering you so much. I'm glad you told me this..."

Alex stopped her. "Are you really? Because I don't get the feeling we are on the same page, not like we were before Myriad. Not before the alcohol. What was it that drove you from me? It feels like it is happening again. Was it Cameron? Were you too ashamed of the drinking? Was it because I worked for the DEO, we all did? What was it Kara? What happened that we got to the point where you would lie to me about so many big things?"

Kara didn't know what to say or how to answer. She had pulled herself away, from everyone and everything.

"When you killed that Ra's guy and Merlyn, you told Bruce. You never told me. When did that happen? When did Bruce know secrets about you that I didn't? I love Bruce but it has always been us. Always!"

The blonde brushed a strand of loose hair off her forehead and looked away from her older sister. She didn't know how it happened. She didn't know why really.

"I guess I wasn't afraid of disappointing Bruce. I never cared what he thought of my actions. I didn't want you to be disappointed in me again."

Alex laughed quietly. "So you just planned to leave your dead body behind in our bathroom in National City or wait for me to watch the news coverage when I got home and found out Doomsday killed you? That makes a lot of sense, Kara."

"I wasn't thinking about you finding my body...me, okay? I am sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am for a lot of things I have done to you. Mom and Dad, I know I'm hell for them to love. I get it, okay? I am sorry."

Alex looked at her sharply.

"If you are so damn sorry, why do I have a feeling no matter what we decide as a family you are just going to get involved anyway and this time have some plan to make sure we are safe and can't interfere? That's what you are going to do, right Kara? It's how you justify things. In the past we would have been together on this, talking about it, looking at it from every angle. We planned how to take down Indigo for months and it worked. We did it together. We have always been better together. Right now you are just waiting for our family discussion so you can ignore whatever we decide to do based on some self-justification you always seem to have."

Kara stood up from the couch and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. You want an apology I am giving you one and I mean it. I love you Alex. I owe you a lot more than an apology..."

"Exactly." Alex stopped her. "You do. So you are going to pay me back now. You are going to swear that you won't pull that crap like Doomsday again. I want your oath. You are going to do what we decide, and more importantly, what I decide. If we get involved we are going to have a plan and we are going to do it together. There won't be any suicide missions, no throwing yourself into fighting opponents and trying to beat them with brute force. No losing yourself into some blood rage. I've never asked you for anything but you are going to give me this. You are going to swear. That meant something to my little sister once and I want to believe it still does."

Kara looked closely at Alex, surprised that despite the anger in her voice she looked distraught, desperate even and was on the verge of breaking down. Kara had not seen Alex in this state in a very long time. She wrapped her arms around her and Alex immediately buried her head in Kara's shoulder, shaking with sobs.

"Don't cry, please. I am sorry, Alex. I never wanted this. I never wanted any of this and you never deserved it."

"I want my sister back. I want the one who told me everything. If there were secrets they were our secrets, together. I want to trust you, Kara. I worry all the time that you are going to turn that damn ring on and fly off in the middle of the night to try and take this invasion force and the Worldkillers out in space by yourself. Do you know what would happen if you did?"

"You think I would die." Kara guessed. She wouldn't admit it but the thought had flashed through her head a few times.

Alex shook her head. "Honestly, I think Kara Zor El, the strongest Red Lantern that has ever existed could wipe out the fleet and the Worldkillers, but Kara Danvers would be gone. She would never come back. Maybe you wouldn't lose yourself again like you did when you first took that ring but the temptation would be too great. There would be no way you could kill that many creatures, tap into that much power and just stop. You would never be the same and you would probably never come back to this planet. Those other Red Lanterns...some are okay. I think Gardner is a good guy but I think those others...they are waiting for you. They are waiting for you to take over and unleash them all on the Universe. They would worship you, Kara. You know it, Gardner knows it and the Greens know it. My little sister would be gone and this time I wouldn't even have a body to bury."

Kara let go of Alex and pulled back a bit to meet her eyes.

"I won't let that happen. I won't do that, I swear."

"You've sworn you wouldn't leave me before." Alex reminded her. "You broke that oath."

"Yeah, I know. What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. I just...I don't believe in coincidences. The timing, the circumstances of me finding you and Clark that day, it wasn't an accident. We were meant to be in this together, by each other's side, good or bad, always. I want to feel that way again. I want to believe that you believe it. I want to believe that when we fight, we fight at each other's side, not you trying to protect me. If we go down, we go down together, always."

Kara closed her eyes for a moment, reflecting on the secrets she had kept and broken promises she had made to Alex. She talked about it often with Leslie. It was all she seemed to talk about at times.

"I'll do what you want. I swear to you, Alex. I don't want to hurt you. Tell me what you want me to do."

Alex tried to smile, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffing a bit. She had been dreading this conversation but knew it had to happen. The anxiety over what Kara would do was driving her mad and making her physically ill.

"I don't know, Kara. I just want to be a part of whatever it is. I want to be your equal, your partner again, not your enemy, not someone to push out of the way so you can do what you want."

Kara wondered if that was true. She didn't see Alex as an enemy. Alex was the complete opposite of an enemy.

But it was true, in the past few years, her first instinct was to hide things from Alex rather than tell her. Growing up, no matter what, they told each other everything. When had that changed?

It changed after Myriad, when the blonde decided forgetting with a bottle was easier than remembering by talking to her sister or anyone for that matter.

"How long have you been this angry with me?" Kara asked, not sure she wanted to know but needing to.

"How long do you think?" Alex asked.

"Since I cut my wrists?" Kara guessed.

Alex shook her head. "Try the first time I had to get J'onn to pull you out of an alien bar because you had drunk so much you couldn't walk. You were 19. You swore to me it was a one-time thing and you tried some new drink. I let myself believe it because...and then...I just stood by and watched you and ignored everything and you...Mom found you."

"Oh...that's a while." Kara admitted quietly. "Why haven't you talked to me about this before? Like when I was in the Block or when I got out..."

"Because I didn't want to hurt you. It's just too much now. You can't keep doing this to me, to us. You cut me out during the Doomsday fight. You turned off your com so you wouldn't have to hear us." Alex reminded her again, nearly breaking down once more.

"You shouldn't have been involved. You could have died. You almost did. How do you think that would have made me feel?" Kara asked.

"Feel? You wouldn't have felt anything because you would have been dead too. The only reason you took that ring and lived was because you thought I died. If I hadn't been there, you would have never become a Red Lantern and would never have survived."

Kara shook her head and pulled away, facing away from Alex.

"Did it ever occur to you that I may have rather died than have acid for blood?"

"Did it ever occur to you that we could have come up with a plan to contain that monster without you going head to head with it? You went into that fight expecting to die! How many times did you want to run off and fight Non and Astra by yourself knowing you couldn't win? Every damn time something comes up like this, your first instinct is to go it alone. You aren't alone! What you do affects both of us. I can tell by the way you were acting in the Hangar. I know you, Kara. You may have told them you hadn't decided yet but I recognized that look on your face. You were giving orders. You are preparing for war."

"Because war is coming! Damn it, Alex, let's go to Metropolis tomorrow, or National City or Gotham or Paris! Let's find a daycare center and go inside and tell the kids that they will probably die or at least their homes will be destroyed because getting involved in an alien invasion isn't good for my mental or emotional health! Let's go to Clark's school and stand in the hallways and tell each other it's okay for them to die because I am retired. Do you feel like doing that, Alex?"

Alex shook her head slightly. "I know, okay? I've ran the numbers, I've studied the enemies, I've studied Earth's assets. I know they aren't enough. I know if this world has any hope of standing it's because we are going to stop this. I don't know what to tell you, okay? I have a very bad feeling about this. I didn't have time to think much about Doomsday. I've given this a lot of thought. I feel...something is about to end. I don't know what, I just...I haven't felt this afraid in a very long time. If you go down, so do I. You can't leave me behind again. I've given you everything I have and all I want is to be by your side, no matter what. I've put just as much work and pain as you have into preparing for this life."

Kara could not deny that, remembering how many bruises and scrapes Alex hid from her parents after sparring sessions. "How are we supposed to have a good feeling about this? How is this not scary? You think I want to live without you? You think I want to...I guess it's the same thing I did to you, isn't it?"

"I don't know." Alex whispered. "I just feel like I'm going to lose you, again. We are in this together. You need to understand that. What happens to you happens to me."

Kara offered a hand to Alex, pulling her up and wrapping her in a tight hug. The two girls cried, holding each other, saying nothing.

Eventually pulling back, Kara ran a hand gently though her sister's short hair.

"After we win this fight, you are going to grow your hair back out. I miss braiding it."

Alex laughed, not feeling any better, but at least Kara sounded...like her Kara a little.

"As soon as we graduate clown college." the brunette agreed. "Although I still think I would look hot dressed like Lara Croft."

"Archeology is out. I kind of screwed our chances of that when I took out the last pyramid on Mars. Alex... you know what we have to do. There is no point in avoiding this any longer. I won't leave you behind I swear, but you know we can't stand by and do nothing."

Alex nodded her head, took a deep breath and walked to the phone. She called her mother and said that she and Kara would be right over and to start the coffee.

The family sat in their usual positions in the living room. The parents had hoped to put this off as long as possible but judging by how emotionally drained their daughters looked it was obvious what their topic of conversation was tonight. They also didn't miss that they were sitting very closely and holding hands as they often did in the past when they had a secret they had to admit to their parents and knew they wouldn't like it. It was a defense mechanism for the girls. When one had trouble they clung to each other tighter.

"I want to start off by saying I will do what everyone agrees on." Kara began. "I know what I think should happen but I will keep my opinion out of this. Alex and I have had some discussion on this tonight and...I want to hear what you both think".

Strangely, instead of talking, no one said a word, not even Clark. The silence seemed to last forever in Kara's mind, but she knew that they were putting off the inevitable. They knew the odds. The heroes of this Earth weren't enough.

"Why can't I fight? If it's okay for you to fight why can't I? I have the same powers. Yeah, I'm not as old as you but I can still fight and I am stronger than anyone else in this world."

"I'm sorry Clark, but if we fail you are the only hope Earth is going to have." Kara told him. "You are going to have to train with Kelex in the Fortress until you are ready and it could take years. I wanted to fight when I was 13 and Dad talked me out of it. If he hadn't I would have died and so would the world later on. I wasn't ready. You aren't either."

After a minute of silence, Jeremiah cleared his throat, relieved that Clark seemed to not want to argue.

"I don't think you can beat Reign." the man told his youngest daughter. "Under a yellow sun she would only be slightly less strong than Doomsday, she can fly, likely has heat vision and was a mutated Kryptonian to begin with."

"He means," Eliza clarified, "that he doesn't think you can win without your ring. Can you even fight without using your ring? Guy told us you used the ring like it was second nature. Can you fly without using it or would it kick on and surround you in a red bubble? Would you always use your heat vision and hold back the ring in a fight against a stronger and faster opponent? Wouldn't that distract you, using one part of yourself so much while denying another?"

"I don't know." Kara admitted. "All I can do is try and if I do use it...if I have to use it, if I have to go back into it later with John if I can talk him into it...I won't lose myself. You have always told me that you believed fate brought us together. Maybe this is fate. Maybe this is why I have this ring. I can only promise I will try not to. The key is not to lose myself. I think if I can stay in Earth's atmosphere while the Reds and Greens battle in space I could handle it. I've gotten stronger. My mind, I mean. If it happens, I've gotten a lot stronger mentally. I can handle it, long enough to stop this threat. Afterward, I will make it to the Fortress and you can use the band to knock me out, keep me sedated until I have a handle on it again. I can make it back. Gardner will help."

The room quieted again, everyone lost in their own thoughts for a while, except Kara who just sat back and waited. Alex was right, she did owe her and her family. If they told her to stay out of it, they would all wait this out in the Fortress and offer what support they could. The blonde also knew it wouldn't come to that. She knew her parents. They knew the truth as soon a Barry Allen arrived to talk to Jeremiah. The Danvers would have to save the world again.

Jeremiah reached over and took Eliza's hand.

"So I guess we need a plan so maybe you don't have to use that ring and we can win anyway." he told the girls.

"Really?" the blonde asked, surprised.

"I hate this. I do, Kara." Eliza admitted. "I wish this world would leave my children alone. I also know the two of you would never be able to live with yourselves if lives were lost and you didn't try. We aren't jumping into this like before. We have data, we have intelligence and we know what to expect, who the enemies are, and when they are coming. We are going into this prepared. If we have to do this, we will do it right."

Kara and Alex looked at each other, not sure what to say, so the blonde turned her attention to Clark.

"Clark, I promised you that I would quit. I don't want to break any promises to you. Tell me what you are thinking."

The boy shook his head. "I think I am tired of my sisters always almost dying to save this world. I'm sick of it." he told her quietly.

"But," he added on, "I know you won't be able to ever be happy if you didn't stop this. I don't think those others can. I don't want to stay back but I know you won't let me fight and wouldn't pay attention to what you need to. I guess...we really don't have a choice, do we?"

"No," Kara agreed, " I don't think we ever have, Clark. Alex and our parents had a choice and they chose to claim us as their own. They made Earth our home. I don't want to see it destroyed. There is a lot of bad in this world but there is also a lot of good. It's on the Danvers to save the world again and we will. I promise we will win."

"But who are you going to be after we do?" the little boy asked.

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "I'm going to be me. I'm going to be your sister, always. Alex too. We will end this quickly."

Alex finally winked at her sister. "Flower of Heaven, who desperately needs a new name, is the biggest threat. Reign may be the strongest but she is going to be the toughest to kill. She will absorb the energy of any weapons fired at her and use it on her enemies. She can overload the power grids of cities, military installations, anything really. She can take down the internet, satellite signals, cut off communication everywhere. Connolly is going to have a tough time coordinating NATO forces from Metropolis. If he has no communications then it's impossible. The Justice League couldn't even coordinate with him or each other."

"So you think I should fight her first?" Kara asked.

"You can't defeat her." Alex told her quickly.

"You would only make her stronger." Jeremiah guessed. From what he had studied, the female Worldkiller had an unlimited ability to absorb energy, unlike Kara who could only take so much. This creature was nearly godlike.

"I have a plan. Kara can't beat it, but I can." Alex told the room. "It's more dangerous than facing Indigo, but I think it could work."

"How dangerous?" Jeremiah asked, not liking where this was going.

Alex cleared her throat not meeting her father's eyes. "Remember that suit you made Grayson four years ago, the one he was too afraid to use?" she asked her little sister.

"The high altitude insertion suit? Yeah, I wasn't exactly happy with him when I suggested he try it. Why...I'm really not going to like this plan." Kara realized.

"Probably not, but it will work." Alex told her in a voice that left no room for doubt.

 **40 Miles from Gotham City 9 PM the next night**

Batman landed the transport silently in the large open field. Kara had chosen her location well. The land was mostly flat for miles around, uninhabited with nearest farm house 22 miles away. This land had been designated by the military in the 80s for a fall out bunker location but the large shelter had never been built. The United States owned the land and since no one was interested in the barren space, it had stayed untouched by human hands for the most part.

The Justice League walked out of the landing bay, suited up and ready for anything with the exception of John Stewart who had left his ring with Hal Jordan, not wanting to incite Kara Danvers rage.

The two sisters were waiting for them one hundred feet from the transport.

To Barry and Bruce's dismay it was obvious the two girls had flown there and were dressed for battle, Kara wearing a solid black uniform with pants instead of a skirt and no cape and Alex decked out in what Bruce recognized as her stealth suit. It was solid black but had special panels Lobo had obtained, nearly imperceptible, that allowed her to blend into any background. With the mask covering her face, her heartbeat and respirations were silent. Alex didn't wear the outfit often, always complaining that it was too inflexible due to the panels, so if she was wearing it now, she planned for trouble that she would need to be unseen to deal with.

Barry was at least happy when he realized that Kara's red ring was still not shining.

"Thank you all for coming." Kara greeted them. "I only need two of you tonight but wanted to speak to all of you."

"You said you weren't getting involved." Bruce reminded her.

"I said I would discuss it with my family. We are all in agreement. I don't need this ring to win. I am fighting this invasion no matter what you say, Bruce. Stewart, did you deliver my message to the Guardians?"

The man nodded his head, cautiously, trying to look her in the eyes but very wary of that ring on her finger.

"I passed along your threat. They have agreed to send the Lanterns here to battle the invasion in space. There will be 866 Green Lanterns, along with your...I mean Gardner's Reds. The battle will be fierce and I cannot guarantee that ships won't get through our blockade and reach the atmosphere of Earth."

Kara was pleased to hear that. She had heard from Guy that some of the Guardians were precognitive beings, able to see possible futures. Her threat worked because they knew it wasn't a threat.

"Tell your Lanterns to stay away from the World Killers. Don't try to stop them. I will have control over the entire nuclear arsenal of this world. No nuclear missiles will be launched. The enemy ships will be prepared for them and Lanterns could be killed along with a possible nuclear winter across the planet. Space is yours, atmosphere is ours."

"Did you say you had control over..." J'onn started.

"Why are you surprised, J'onn?" Alex interrupted him. "Of course we do. Do you really trust some countries not to take advantage of the invasion and launch at their enemies? Connolly may be coordinating NATO but other countries outside of NATO have nukes. Besides, Webb is actually going to be coordinating, correct? I've looked at the ship you thought you and J'onn were building secretly at S.T.A.R. Lab's hangar. A cloaking device?" she reminded him. "My guess is you and my DEO buddies minus Webb, plan to break into the flagship and find information on Worldkiller One, right?"

Bruce nodded slowly. Kara and Alex had been busy but he wasn't surprised. When they decided on a path, they followed through quickly and decisively.

"Please don't do this, Kara." Bruce asked her quietly.

Kara ignored him.

"You have all gone over the information on the Worldkillers several times no doubt. You all know what we are facing. When the time comes, Diana and Curry will have to fight Deimax. Barry, you are going to have to figure out a way to take out Perrilus. I have no doubt since the two will be together somewhere on this planet, your entire League will be together. Lobo will be providing support for Alex and I will find and kill Reign."

Bruce shook his head. "And what will Alex be doing that she needs support from...Lobo?"

Kara smiled, her bright teeth glowing in the moonlit night.

"Alex is going to kill Flower of Heaven. We have a good idea where that bitch will be. Once the Worldkillers are dead, and the militaries of the world are fighting the invading forces I suspect, the king who I am certain is Worldkiller One will make an appearance on Earth. Bruce you have to find out what he is, because we will not have much time to come up with a plan."

Barry didn't understand why they were out here. Kara could have called them, met them at the DEO, the Hangar, S.T.A.R. or most likely the Batcave to tell them this information.

"We can handle this on our own." Bruce told her once again, stepping closer to the blonde.

"No we can't." Arthur's voice cut in. "You know it Wayne. I can tell by J'onn's green face, he knows it as well and hates it. We aren't enough. We can gang up on two of these Worldkillers but no one has figured out a way to beat Reign or the flower child. Nobody here likes it, but the world needs her. Both of them since the skinny brunette in black plans to take out the biggest problem."

No one said a word, digesting Curry's words. As much as Barry hated to admit it, the man was right. Reign could fly, he couldn't and the Lanterns would be busy in space. Taking out an armada in space, one of over 800 ships, carrying God knew how many fighter crafts, would be difficult if not impossible no matter their numbers. Yes, they had the power to decimate the Fleet but ships would get past them.

"Why here?" Barry asked Kara.

"Because I need practice fighting without letting my emotions control me or using the ring. You need practice against a Kryptonian. I won't be as powerful as the Wordlkillers, but it will give you a taste. I only need two of you, Barry and Diana. Barry, you are up first, if you want."

"No." Bruce told her.

Kara shook her head, expecting this reaction from her stubborn friend. This was why she asked them to come out, suited up without giving a reason. She knew he would have this reaction.

"Bruce, if one of them can beat me in a fight, I will stay out of it. If not, I am not going to stand by while Zor El's creations burn this planet. Reign may not be as powerful as I was with a Red Ring. Diana beat me then. This time is different. Reign has the DNA of the military guild mixed with others. She is a warrior, cunning, deadly and likely in complete control. She is me, but stronger. That means I will have to be smarter and I am. If Diana cannot take me, she has no chance against Reign. Barry, you are up."

Kara walked off leaving the Justice League standing and Barry giving Bruce a doubtful look then following Kara. He had never fought her and didn't want to. The man knew he had gotten much better, much faster, much stronger and could take her. Now Kara had forced him into a dilemma. The only way to keep her safe was to hurt her.

As the two walked away, Bruce turned towards Alex, prepared to have an intense discussion only to find that she was gone. He looked quickly at J'onn.

"She is wearing a neural blocker." the Martian explained. "I have no idea where she is. It's too dark to look for footprints in grass and if we take the time she will strike. Leave it alone. Barry or Diana can handle this."

"Whenever you are ready." Kara told Barry once they had reached a distance Kara was apparently happy with. To the Flash's surprise, the blonde kept her back to him and sat cross legged on the ground, her hands on her thighs.

Not sure what to do, the man began vibrating, keeping his form intangible then making speed mirages circling her. Barry watched her closely from the front, not that she would be able to tell with the mirages and the fact that her eyes were closed.

"Ten people just died while you are standing there, making cute replicas of yourself and wondering what you are going to do, Barry." Kara told him calmly, her eyes still closed and face serene.

Barry tensed, realizing she wasn't fooled by his mirages at all. Deciding he had no choice, the man regained solid form and increased the mass of his body, swinging fast and hard, too fast for her to see.

Before his fist touched her face, her hand shot up and stopped it then squeezed. The man felt the bones in his fist begin to break. He vibrated and jerked back, retreating backwards.

Kara slowly stood up.

"You are faster than me but you can't hide the buzz of your body, the sound of your feet on the ground when your gain solid form and move, the air splitting, parting for your fist. I didn't have to be faster than you, I just had to listen and anticipate where you would swing then wait for the contact. You have ten seconds to heal your hand. That's ten more seconds than Perrilus would give you."

Barry focused on the bones of his hand and they healed in two seconds. He waited for Kara to make the next move.

To his irritation and worry, she didn't move, standing in one place with her eyes closed.

Though his hand was healed, he could still feel the throb. The man had worked for the better part of a year to become faster, stronger, deadlier. Within a second, Kara seated in a cross legged position with her eyes closed had broken his hand.

Deciding he couldn't strike while being in the form he presently was, Barry stopped vibrating, instead moving in a zig zag pattern around her, moving in, backing up, trying to get a tilt of her head so he could move quickly and strike her from the other side.

Instead Kara opened her eyes slightly and tracked the man from her side.

He wasn't moving fast enough. She could see him, Barry realized. Moving in front of her, hoping to land a strike to her abdomen instead of the face where she expected, Kara opened her eyes fully, her glowing eyes, and the Flash saw a flash of bright light, felt pain in his leg, the beams not breaking though his suit but the burns underneath obvious. The force of the blast, knocked his leg back, causing him to lose balance and hit the ground face first. Rolling over, he found himself pinned to the ground by an incredible gust of wind that did not seem to let up. He also felt the weight increase over his body, more and more. Only his head was left uncovered, the rest of his body buried under four foot thick ice from neck to foot.

Kara kneeled behind his head and placed her right palm over his face.

"You aren't faster than the speed of light. Perrilus just crushed your skull. That monster's tentacles are as almost as fast as heat vision. You aren't coming back from that. I think you can beat her, so show me how." she told him, still eerily calm. The blonde let go of his face and stepped back.

Barry felt his own temper rising. He would have preferred Kara's rage. She was calm, almost playing with him. She was outsmarting him. She knew his weaknesses.

Because of that sphere so would the Worldkillers.

What were her weaknesses? Red sunlight? She would take out a grenade with her heat vision in a second, not that he had any. She was strong enough without her powers to rip a bracelet off if she had one as well.

What else?

Barry knew her. He had watched every public battle she had fought in over the six, nearly seven years she had become Supergirl.

Livewire. Electricity. She was hurt and it was Alex who took the meta by surprise to stop her.

Vibrating hard, the ice exploded and the man stood, throwing a lightning bolt in her direction.

He hit home, dropping her to the ground, doubled over and then to her knees.

Somewhere behind him he thought he might have heard Bruce yell to him not to do it, but Barry paid no mind. If he wanted her respect, if he wanted her safely out of this fight and away from Reign he would have to beat her. She left him with no choice.

The man moved quickly to her, reaching down for her shoulder, hoping she would give up because of the pain he inflicted.

The Flash forgot what many aliens and criminals found out the hard way. If there was one thing that Kara was used to it was pain.

The blonde looked up at him and was smiling.

He felt a hand around his throat and realized he was very far from the ground in a split second.

"A fall from this height kills you. J'onn will probably catch you, but what if he isn't there?" Kara asked, then let go but quickly caught him by the shoulders in her strong hands.

"You can't run on air. Perrilus can fly too. She can take you into space and leave you there. Don't throw a lightning bolt and expect her to be down. Always assume your enemy can hurt you, until you know for certain that enemy is dead then burn the body."

Barry was not sure what to say. She had moved fast but had he been paying attention he could have gotten out of her grip. He was faster than her.

He just hadn't been smarter than her. She wasn't injured, she drew him in and put him in the one place he was basically helpless before his mind could comprehend what was happening.

"Alex is going to need that venom. She thinks Perrilus will be susceptible to her own but isn't sure. If nothing else that venom can stop Deimax. Once Perrilus is dead, that venom has to be extracted and given to her. She will have a short time to weaponize it and then get to where I am after I finish off Reign."

"Why does she...you plan to use it on the first Worldkiller." Barry realized.

"I have no idea what he is, what he can do but I know in my gut he will be there. That venom may give me the edge I need. Have you perfected stealing kinetic energy yet?"

Barry grinned despite himself. "Do I want to know how you know that?"

"I had Kelex send me Cisco's files before I came here. You should have used it on me. You could have slowed me down and thrown a much stronger lightning bolt. You can do the same to Perrilus. Slow her down and use her energy for your speed and she can't beat you. I believe in you. You know what to expect now. She will look like a mindless monster, but she isn't. Never forget that."

Barry told her he wouldn't. Tonight he learned that being faster isn't always the answer.

"You did good." he told her. "You seemed really calm tonight."

Kara grinned at him. "My family thinks I can't fight without losing myself in a rage, even before this ring. But I have. I fought Non after Alex and Dante calmed me down. I didn't let my rage loose until I had him defeated. I also felt nothing when I killed Astra."

Barry looked in her eyes and saw a deep sadness there. She had told him that story, the battle on the beach and it sounded like it was nothing more than two women enraged, fighting with all their strength.

Kara saw his confusion. "Yeah, I was furious. I wanted to rip her to shreds for touching my family. Then I had her...I had her just where I wanted her and I...for a split second I couldn't do it. The rage left and I realized despite everything, I still loved her. So I did what Jack Webb trained me to do. I cut off my emotions and I snapped her neck. Seeing your father die in front of you was traumatizing, I know. Imagine if you had to kill him yourself to protect the world and more importantly the people you loved. Do you understand? Have you figured out what I am yet? What you could be? That is what could happen to you one day. I'm sorry, but it might. One day, you might become me."

The two said nothing for a few moments, Barry in deep thought and Kara watching and wondering if it was sinking in.

"Kara?"

"Yeah?"

'My shoulders are getting really sore. Think we could go back to the ground, slowly?"

Kara nodded her head once again not knowing if Barry got it. Barry didn't understand what she and Alex had to become or why. She hoped he never did.

The two landed softly on the ground a moment later. She let him go as soon as they touched ground and motioned towards Diana, beckoning her with a finger.

"You're next."

Diana grinned but on the inside was very worried. Kara had an easy time not letting her rage take over when fighting with Barry. She loved him after all. No matter what would or would most likely never happen between him, the love had been real.

Diana knew that deep down, in a place Kara did her best to keep locked away, the blonde hated her. Would this be the time that her rage took over? If it did, Diana could beat her but the girl would be lost. If it didn't, Diana doubted she could defeat her.

The two women walked the same distance Barry and Kara had.

"Are you worried? I won't hurt you." Kara told her in a flat voice.

"I am not worried about you hurting me." the Amazon told her.

"I would be worried if I were you."

Kara's eyes lit up and struck, Diana expecting the attack to come towards her head. Instead the blast hit her abdomen and sent her flying back. The Amazon flipped to her feet quickly and slammed her gauntlets together, a massive concussive blast striking Kara.

Kara had not moved, looking at her with an expressionless face.

Then the Kryptonian slapped her palms together, a concussive blast striking Diana and pushing her back a few feet.

"Now that we both know that trick, are you ready?"

Diana tossed her lasso quickly, knowing Kara could not break it. Instead Kara caught it and pulled her forward, striking her with a kick that sent her high, then punching her in the air, sending the woman straight back to the ground.

Kara went back in the air, lasso in hand, rolling it up then tossing it away.

Floating to the ground, as Diana stood up, the blonde took an attack stance. As she was trained from childhood, Diana attacked first.

The two traded blows, neither of them making contact, each swing blocked, until Kara dropped to the ground and swept her leg. Diana twisted, flipped in the air. When she tried to get off her back, she found the tip of her sword at her throat. Kara had taken it off her back.

"Ares was a hundred years ago, right? You've beaten a few alien red shirts since Bruce formed your group. Maybe if you had more experience fighting real alien threats like White Martians, you would know how strong and fast we really are. Of course who would keep the marble sculptures in Paris in perfect condition? Or shop the fanciest boutiques in Europe? Live in luxury apartments? It's nice of you to step up now though. You did fight Atrocitus. Barry killed him but it was your plan. I know how you fight Diana. You don't know how I do. You saw the monster I became but you have never seen the killer I am."

Kara tossed the sword away into the darkness.

Diana rolled on her back then kicked, finally contacting Kara's chest and sending her back. She stood up and attacked once more, only to find herself struck with three short strikes to her face and a slap to her ear, followed by a headbutt that sent her to the ground, causing a small woman shaped crater.

Kara stepped back and relaxed, even closing her eyes.

Unlike Barry, Diana was not fooled. It was obvious Kara had not only trained and mastered many styles, she had fought many battles against difficult opponents. The Amazon also suspected Dante had taught her to fight blind in the event that she ever lost her vision to a heat vision blast.

Taking her shield she slung it at the Kryptonian's head, hoping it didn't take her head off.

Instead Kara stood strong, eyes still closed shield clutched in her hand horizontally.

The girl opened her eyes.

"You are strong. You aren't strong enough. If Reign gets past me, you are the only thing standing in her way. She is probably going to do this to you."

Dropping the shield, the blonde shot into the sky high enough that Diana lost track of her.

Then the sky lit up, heat vision blasts raining down from the sky. The woman blocked with her gauntlet's deflecting them back up, but she never heard any indication of a hit. Instead a new blast would rain down from a different direction, to her left, behind her. Unable to anticipate where the next would come from and not as fast as Barry, one finally struck home, burning her chest. She hit the ground and more heat vision blasts came near her, twin beams each time, to the sides of her head, striking and burning her hands, her armored boots heating up.

Finally able to block one aimed for her face, she swept her arm away and saw a fast moving object fall from the sky and landed on her chest.

Kara had her pinned, fist raised and ready to pound her skull into the hard ground beneath her.

"You just died. Only a god can kill another god? I'm the goddess of death. Ask any alien on this planet. What you are going to face is stronger than me."

Kara stood up and moved away, taking a different stance this time, one that appeared open, ready to draw her in. Diana stood slowly, trying to ignore the pain in her hands, the pain in her gut, the pain, everywhere.

"Deimax is a monster. Not as strong as Doomsday but at least my strength level. He is the weakest of the Worldkillers and is still incredibly strong. I haven't hit you as hard as I can yet. The monster likely has no skill, only using his fangs and claws to rip his victims apart."

"I understand. You should have chosen J'onn."

Kara grinned at her. She had hurt the woman but nothing Diana couldn't handle. Kara had heard about the battle after she had taken the ring. Diana had goaded her and Kara having no mind, only power. In this fight she had used everything she had, three different fighting styles to throw her off, as Dante had taught her in her teens. Never let an opponent guess your next move.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"I could see it in your eyes just now. You nearly let the hate overtake you. You wouldn't hurt Barry, you wouldn't want to hurt J'onn, but you want to hurt me because deep down, you hate me."

Kara turned around quickly. "This fight is over. I don't hate you. You saved my life, kept me from destroying Metropolis, got me to the Blood Lake and stayed under that nasty stuff, holding me the entire time. I appreciate it. I couldn't hate you."

"I left you alone to fend for yourself. I know you hate me Kara. I have seen it in your mind when I was there."

Kara stopped, keeping her back to the woman, and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I said that earlier. I shouldn't have. This world wasn't your problem. I chose to take on the responsibility. It was on me. Let's drop it, okay?"

"You meant it and you were right. It's okay to tell me because I already know. I am sorry."

Kara shook her head. "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was. I could have helped you, been there for you and I wasn't. I am sorry."

Kara turned towards her, eyes glowing.

"I said drop it!"

Diana stepped forward, wondering if she would soon feel a blast of heat vision once again. Her armor was still hot and uncomfortable, her exposed skin burnt, her ribs and chest aching. No she could not match Kara in strength or power. Not when the girl was calm, cool and collected.

No matter how much Kara thought she could fight without emotion, it would be impossible. The girl wasn't made that way and this world made her what she was.

"I can't. It bothers me constantly. I think about it often. I need you to forgive me. Please Kara. I am sorry. I could have helped you, saved you pain, fought by your side, saved your sister from countless injuries..."

"Shut up!" Kara screamed, eyes glowing brighter. Before she could unleash a blast, a crystal band was placed her head from behind.

The girl dropped but was held up by someone else. Kara was laid gently on the ground and Alex pulled back her mask, her head seeming to materialize out of thin air. Bruce was right, the stealth suit was impressive.

"What the hell is your problem? Why did you do that?" Alex asked, anger coloring her face.

"I had to defeat her and you were the only way to do that. I knew you would be around her, waiting, just in case she lost it. You always have been, correct? She cannot fight without losing herself Alex. If her anger is so easily brought forth by my words, what will happen when she sees her father's creations?"

"That bastard was not her father! If you hadn't done so much for Kara when she took the ring I would blow that tiara off your head."

Diana nodded, expecting that reaction. She hated to do what she did, but it had to be done. She doubted it would change anything. Kara and Alex Danvers would not stay out of this fight and they would convince themselves that Kara could control her temper.

Maybe she had given them something to think about. It probably wouldn't matter in the end. Diana knew tonight that the most powerful Red Lantern in the Universe, perhaps the most powerful being in the Universe would be fighting the Worldkillers, no matter the cost to herself.

"Would you like me to carry her to our transport?" the Amazon asked.

"We have our own ride." Alex told her.

Lobo's ship landed in the distance. Diana waited and watched as Alex sat on the ground with Kara's head in her lap. Lobo finally reached them and picked the blonde up in his arms, carrying her towards the ship.

"Alex?" Diana stopped her. "Tell her I truly am sorry."

"When this is over, you can tell her."

"How do you plan to kill the one you call the Flower of Heaven?"

Alex smiled for the first time that night. "I'm going to give that bitch a Black Mercy on steroids. Tell Bruce to call me tomorrow. Good night Diana."


	46. Chapter 46

**Do not own CW or DC characters. not own CW or DC characters.**

 **Big thanks as always to AsgardianBlade for prereading and beta'ing this chapter.**

 **Chapter 46 The Start**

Kara sat down, alert and ready for battle. Her enemy was in front of her and the girl honestly had no idea what to expect. With this woman it could be anything. Her opening move would give a hint to her battle strategy.

"So Bruce called me this morning and sounded quite upset." Leslie told her.

Kara was not surprised, figuring that would be his move.

"What did you tell him?" the blonde asked carefully.

"To kiss my ass. I'm paid by him, I don't work for him and I guess he needed reminding. So you plan to fight an alien invasion without using that demon ring on your finger. Do I have that right?"

Kara had a hard time reading her face. Leslie was playing it cool today, giving away nothing, not satisfaction or irritation. She suspected her therapist was very good at poker.

She slightly nodded her head. "Yes."

Kara knew in this situation the best tactic would be giving short, truthful answers. Volunteering too much gave her openings to exploit and exploit them Thompkins did. Often. She seemed to take pleasure in it.

Thompkins took a deep breath, setting Kara more on edge. A deep breath could mean anything.

"You talked to your family?" Leslie asked.

"Yes." Kara told her, sticking with the strategy of short, to the point answers.

"Okay then. I'm glad we got that out of the way. I wondered how long it would take for them to come around. Now we can get to work."

That definitely took Kara by surprise. "You are okay with me fighting?" she asked, wary of a trap.

Leslie did not smile nor frown, keeping her stoic face Kara suspected Bruce may have emulated. "It was going to happen. Am I okay with you fighting an alien invasion? I'm not crazy about the alien invasion part but it's good that you have all come to terms with this and we can prepare. There was no chance you and your sister would be able to live with yourselves if you did not become involved. I've known it would happen, just as you and your family knew. The chances of you being able to fight this thing without losing your temper are practically zero but not quite. Let's start with how you are feeling now. The invasion is what, three or four weeks away? I understand you are going to be fighting more of Zor El's creations in addition to thousands of aliens. How do you feel about this?"

Kara realized she wasn't sure how she felt. The blonde had been too busy preparing for war to think about her own feelings.

"I'm scared. I'm angry and frustrated but mostly I am scared." she admitted.

Leslie suspected as much judging by the grin on her face. She always had a slight grin, Kara realized, if the girl was telling the truth.

"Go on. You have fought battles before, been scared before. Is this different?"

Kara did not have to think long about that question. Was this different? Of course it was. Though she wouldn't admit it to Alex, Kara also had a very bad feeling about this battle.

"I've never faced this many enemies, enemies that could be stronger than me, on such a large scale. I've never planned for people I love to go into battle without me there. What Alex is doing, it makes sense, but I won't be there if it doesn't work. Bruce and my DEO friends are going to break into an alien Flagship, Barry is going to fight one of the deadliest creatures to ever walk this planet. J'onn is going to have to fight a creature slightly weaker than Doomsday but not by much. I will be too busy fighting to stay alive to watch out for them. I won't know if they made it until it's all over."

"What else?" Leslie prodded as she often did.

"I'm...scared of... this feeling I have in my gut. Alex told me she had the same feeling, something telling me that we may not make it out of this. Every time I have started to relax, felt better about my life something comes to ruin it. I know after this that nothing will ever be the same. I don't know if I can ever find peace again. If Alex is gone, I will be lost." Kara admitted. "If I give myself over...if I have to use the ring to win, I don't know if I can come back and if I do, I'm not sure if I will ever be the same, and I know I can be worse."

"In what way? How do you think the ring can change you? You were learning to control it before you performed whatever it was that you did. Why do you think you would change for the worse?" Thompkins pushed.

Kara shook her head slightly and shrugged her shoulders. The woman pushed her once again.

"Because I don't know if I would even want to control it." Kara told her. "My family, my friends, they don't understand. They don't know how intoxicating this power is. Using this power, becoming one with it and unleashing everything I have inside me, I don't know if I want to live without it again. I miss it."

"You like it." Thompkins told her. "It's like a drug to you, isn't it? It's the same as that powder you snorted, an instant high that made you feel you could take on the universe. It's an addiction. You quit drinking and using drugs, you wanted to be the person your family thought you could be. You quieted the ring because you knew it would turn you back into the person you were and you didn't want to disappoint them again."

Kara absolutely hated the way Leslie could read her. "Yeah, okay? If I didn't have my family to consider I would have given into this thing the moment I stepped out of the Blood Lake. I wouldn't have fought it. I would have taken my Reds and we would have wreaked havoc..."

"Stop." Thompkins told her. "My Reds? I thought they were Gardner's Reds?"

Kara closed her eyes, cursing herself for that slip of the tongue. Deciding there was no way out of it, she told the woman the truth.

"Gardner leads them now. He knows, they all do, all I have to do is step up and no could challenge me. Red Lanterns follow the strongest and I am the strongest. All I have to do is want it and every Red Lantern in the Universe would follow me into hell, Gardner included. Alex told me that she thought they would worship me. I know they would. That scares me because a part of me wants it."

Kara stopped talking, feeling she didn't need to say anything else. Leslie knew how she felt, had probably known for a long while and was just waiting for Kara to admit it. The Ring was becoming an addiction to her before Constantine bound the demons inside it. But the demons had only given her what she wanted.

Leslie was waiting for her to say more but Kara had no idea what else to say.

"Killing those White Martians, that was another type of bender for you." Leslie continued when she became silent with no indication she planned to speak again. "It was no different than when you gave into your demons before, drunk yourself into oblivion. But you have the tools to handle this now. You need to realize these demons are no different than the ones you fought during rehab, the same ones you fight every day, the depression, the addictions, the rage. Do you not think you can come back from this?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders, not sure. Could she? The girl felt split in two. She wanted to be with her family in Midvale, living the life she always dreamed of since she landed. Kara wanted to be the perfect daughter, the perfect sister and work everyday to become that. She wanted the future she could begin to glimpse.

The other part of her wanted to use that ring so badly she caught herself daydreaming of it at times. Kara felt letting the invasion come so close to Earth with the Lanterns as an orbital shield was not the best idea for humanity. She thought a better idea was to leave the Greens behind to protect the Earth and take her Reds into deep space, attack the armada now, destroy them all, Worldkillers included.

The blonde took a deep breath and leaned over, elbows on her knees and looking at her floor.

"I don't know." she finally admitted. "Things have already changed."

"In what way?"

Kara sat back up and met Leslie's eyes. "You know my problems better than anyone. You know what is wrong with me. My parents only recently trusted me to go to AA meetings by myself. But when I went to the Batcave and met with the Justice League to spar, I began giving...not orders. I just told them what to do...I guess those are orders? Anyway, I told Diana that she, Curry and J'onn would have to fight Deimax. I told Barry he would be fighting Perrilus. I told him to find a way to get the venom so Alex could fashion a weapon in the event the first Wordkiller arrived. The scary part is they all listened to me. No one questioned me, not even Bruce."

Leslie snorted, amused Kara would be surprised by this. "Why wouldn't they listen to you? Yes, we all know you have problems, even them. But when it comes to saving this world, being a hero, they all look to you. You are one who has done this before. Without you, they know they can't win. With you, they think they can't lose. No matter what else you have done to yourself, you are the greatest hero this world has ever known. Why wouldn't they listen to you? No one has more knowledge about intergalactic wars, the enemies you will be facing and how to defeat them. They know it. You are their leader."

"I am no hero." Kara argued.

"Yeah, you are. I thought we were past this? The children who look up to you, the addicts, people suffering from depression, they all believe in you. The countless lives you have saved, those people believe in you. You are their hero. Some may hate you, fear you, but the majority of this planet feels safe because of what you have done. This team Bruce has together will never equal the things you have done. You are a lot of things, some bad, some good, but you are a damn hero. Don't overthink this. For once, just do what you do best."

"Drink?" Kara asked, trying to force a bit of humor into her tone.

"No you idiot. Just be you, be heroic. Be that girl who stood up when she was 13 and decided she was going to save the world, no matter the cost. Be the girl who protects the innocent of this planet. You do that and you will be okay. Remember that you are a hero, not a Red Lantern. ItsIt's natural for people to follow heroes. They will follow you whether you like it or not. Get out of here and start preparing yourself to be Supergirl."

Kara wanted to scream in frustration or cry, both actions competing with themselves in her head. Instead she quietly asked the one question that had always bothered her.

"Why me? What did I do to deserve this?"

Leslie laughed, irritating the blonde, as usual.

"We all have our burdens in life. Mine is being your therapist. Yours is saving the world. No point in worrying about the whys. The only thing that matters is getting the job done. Both of us have to."

Kara had no response to that statement and one wasn't needed thanks to a knock at the door. The blonde was worried immediately, knowing Alex never interrupted her session so this couldn't be good.

"Yes?"

The door slowly opened and Alex sheepishly stepped inside. The look on her face confirmed something was very wrong.

"S.T.A.R. Labs was sent a message. It's from inside one of the battle ships. Our drones were found and destroyed and ten minutes later all communications to S.T.A.R. were taken over. There is a ...Reign is on every screen at the place. She said your name and has been standing silently for two hours. What do you want to do?"

Kara took a quick look at Leslie and noted the normally unflappable doctor with the impenetrable poker face looked ashen.

"I suppose we should find out what she wants."

A moment later, Leslie had silently left, obviously in deep thought. The two girls were suited up in their black flight suits, Kara taking Alex from behind and landing at S.T.A.R. thirty minutes later.

The Justice League and Barry's friends were there and all of them looked very worried.

Kara looked to Bruce first.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" he asked her.

"Of course not." Kara responded. If the blonde only did things that were good ideas then countless lives would have been lost in the past. "But you know I have to."

Kara walked towards one of the larger screens, a free standing one she suspected had been brought out for this purpose.

" _I'm am Kara Zor El, daughter of Alura. You wished to speak to me. I am here, so speak,"_ she told her soon to be nemesis in Kryptonese.

Reign smiled, at least as closely as she was capable. It was obvious to Kara that Reign was in a ship of some sort, probably the flagship of the King. In the light she was more hideous than Kara imagined. Her face truly looked demonic, her skin an ashen gray and her skull covered in black long hair, but not thick enough to hide the horns that protruded from her skull. She was dressed in a black body suit, one with a chest piece of a Kryptonian Crest. The symbol was a mixture Kara recognized, a combination of the House of El and the House of Zod, the house that made her and the house that wanted to use her.

" _I have no name, no title, no mother or father. I know that you have given your humans information about me, stored in the laboratory you stand in now. Your father created us then imprisoned us when he realized we were not followers but rulers. I have learned he and his people are dead. You are all that is left."_

Kara said nothing, watching the demonic face closely. Reign had not contacted her to threaten her. From a strategic standpoint warning the blonde of her impending arrival and motivations made no sense. She had been released and recruited by the King, brought aboard his Flagship and given a communication device allowing her to project herself and respond in real time light years away. The King had a reason for allowing this, even if Reign was too stupid to see it. What that reason was remained a mystery she hoped to figure out.

" _I understand you have stepped away from humanity, no longer fighting their battles. Will you hide from me as well?"_

" _I will not hide from you, or your brother and sisters."_ Kara told her, keeping her answers simple and short, a technique she had perfected in therapy.

" _I will be on Earth soon. I will rip you apart little girl. You are no warrior. You are a privileged girl, a daughter of a lawyer and scientist, weak, pathetic. We have seen your broadcast to the humans. Your feelings betrayed you, your sentiment became your weakness. Do you understand what I am? You have learned about me from your father's databanks but do you truly understand what I am? I am death. I have no sentiment, no weakness, no mercy. Soon you will be mine."_

Kara once again said nothing. Perhaps Reign did just call to threaten her but it made no sense why the King would allow this. Did he hope to intimidate her? That made no sense. He began this journey after word had gotten out that Kara had the ring. He obviously knew what she was and if he knew about Red Lanterns he would know they lived for battle and were impossible to intimidate even in the face of death.

Judging by Reign's face, no longer humored but scowling now instead, the Worldkiller was not happy with the silence.

" _Have you nothing to say for yourself?"_ Reign asked.

" _No."_ was Kara's answer, not giving a thing away, not weakness, not fear and not confidence. Keeping her emotions in control was important. Not giving anything away from her facial expressions was important. Reign was an open book, giving Kara information about her enemy. Her face showed overconfidence and then frustration that her needless attempts at provoking the blonde Kryptonian were unsuccessful.

" _Save your words then. We will meet soon enough. Your death will be painful. I will rip your limbs from your body and drink your blood."_

Of course, Kara thought. It made sense...or did it?

" _I understand. Is there anything else you would like to say?"_

Reign snarled and the screen went black.

No one said a word in the room, all of them apart from Alex wondering what had been said. Kara kept her face expressionless, because she wasn't sure what she was feeling. The blonde felt a bit of joy that the Worldkiller had given something away, but feeling more confused than ever over the King's intentions.

"So...what was that about?" Bruce finally asked.

Kara looked at Alex and knew her big sister had the same thought she had.

"The king knows you are a Red Lantern." Alex told her.

"But Reign doesn't. Why hasn't he told her?" Kara wondered aloud. "She wanted to drink my blood? She doesn't know I don't have blood. If she does it was a strange promise. She has no idea what I am, how powerful I am. Why would he hide this if he was sending the Worldkillers to defeat me? What is his game? He saw my broadcast but he knows I am not gone. He waited all these years, he could have used these Worldkillers when I was weaker but he waits until I am at my strongest to send them after me? I need to know his end game. He didn't pick up these monsters to help him destroy life on Earth. He is using them to distract me."

"We will find out Kara." J'onn assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Kara had no doubt. Either the team going to the Flagship would find out or she would when the King reached the surface. She doubted he traveled all this way to stay in space. The blonde feared if she found out his endgame on the ground, it may be too late.

"Kara, Alex," Kelex spoke into their coms. "Lois has called. The President is addressing the nation from the Oval Office. Other world leaders are following suit."

Kara walked over to one of the desk consoles, opened up Catco's website, and waited to hear what the woman's plan was. She had not talked about at length with Connolly or Webb but knew there was a plan to evacuate citizens from major population centers.

The blonde listened as the President told the nation she had just been informed that in approximately four weeks a massive alien invasion would occur. Kara was impressed with how well she effortlessly lied, knowing the woman had this information much longer than that morning.

Marsdin explained the military, the National Guard and police departments would begin calm and orderly evacuations from major US cities and martial law would be put in place to ensure no looting would occur. A check with her vision showed Kara the army was already in place around Central City. Though the soldiers were not outwardly armed, she knew they were here in case panic broke out. Central City, Star City, Metropolis and Gotham would be cleared as much as humanly possible in the next four weeks.

Kara only hoped no one was killed in the process with millions of humans being relocated, spread out across the United States, far from their homes, possibly cut off from family.

There was really no other choice though. Leaving people in those cities would be like leaving fish in a barrel as Jeremiah would say. They would be as defenseless as those people who had been trapped in downtown Metropolis with Doomsday free.

The girl shook her head. She had other problems to worry about, first and foremost making sure these people had homes and businesses to come back to.

Before she cut the feed off after the President's speech, a question was asked by Chloe Sullivan.

"Will Supergirl be involved in the battle?"

The President nodded her head and smiled.

"I have spoken to Supergirl who assured me she would defend this planet with her last breath. I have faith that with her involvement along with other defenders of this planet, we will win this war."

No one spoke after the feed was cut off for a moment before Alex opened her mouth.

"That lying bitch." she whispered.

Kara smiled, not worried in the least. "She is a politician; therefore she lies. She knew about this invasion weeks ago and lied about it. She hasn't spoken to me but knows I will be involved, if Connolly hasn't told her, that statement would put pressure on me to fight. It's a strategic move on her part. We have bigger concerns. I want to see this ship you and Bats have been building J'onn. It will be difficult enough getting on the ship through the Lanterns battle in space. You have no idea how strong the Diasporans are. They could be human level in strength or closer to your level." she pointed out to her Martian friend.

The group followed Kara to the room where the small ship was being built. Of course they followed her. Leslie was right. This was on her and whether she wanted to lead or not, people would follow.

Kara found the room easily enough. It had once been four rooms but the walls had been knocked down, the ceilings raised and, in the middle, sat a ship roughly the size of Lobo's resembling the ones her probes and his had picked up.

"Is it weaponized?" she asked Bruce, while checking the craft inside and out with her vision.

"No, not yet." the man grudgingly admitted. "We can't use an Omegahedron to power it. The Flagship might pick a different energy source out. We are hoping to replicate the power surge we picked up from the sphere. I think..."

"This isn't going to work." Kara told him, already seeing how this would play out, mainly with the death of her friends and no information being found. "You can't land this in a bay and then sneak off while a battle is going on to wander a large ship, blindly searching for information."

"We have no choice." Bruce disagreed. He wasn't sold on the idea even if it was his, but he could not think of a better one.

"Yes, you do." Kara disagreed. She turned and pointed to Cisco. "He is going to get you there. If the Diasporans are stronger than you can handle or in greater numbers, then you will need someone with his power, plus an escape route. He can breach onto the ship, hopefully someplace not in the general view of their version of flight control. There is a man at the DEO Connolly told me is very good at deciphering alien languages quickly and is skilled at hacking. I met him once. His name is Winn Schott. If Cisco can get to a terminal, he can establish contact and decipher information. After it is done, you plant as many explosives as you can and Cisco gets you off the ship. Simple and much easier than trying to force your way through a space battle involving a lot of firepower."

"If he goes, I go." Caitlin told the blonde quickly.

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "So go. What about it Cisco? Can you do it?"

The blonde was concerned she wasn't seeing confidence on his face.

"I've...I've never done something like that before. If I am wrong we could end up in open space, dead in a second."

Kara stared at the man for a moment, her expression as unreadable as Leslie's usually was. "So don't be wrong. We will practice. We are going to remote this ship into space. You will work on making breaches to the ship that only I will walk through. If you screw up I will fly back down and we can do it again until you have it right. You are the only shot we have of getting onto that ship and getting intel. If you can't, I need to come up with another plan. Sending them into a warzone inside a large moving target in clear sight of a thousands of soldiers is simply wasting manpower and lives. Your call. You want to save the world? Here is your chance."

Kara knew she was throwing the man off balance. He had seen Kara cheerful, seen her threatening and paranoid, seen her immense anger, but he had never seen her like this. The Kara Danvers standing in front of them was different. She was in control, confident, nearly emotionless. Leslie was right.

This was what she did. When it came to planning a war or even a street fight with other aliens, Kara was at her calmest. Fighting was the thing that sent her over the edge but in a strange way it was when she was most at peace. Even when she moved to National City, the girl could barely handle being in class with strangers. Then she found a Vrang and killed him. At the moment she was fighting she felt no nerves, no worry and no fear.

"Yeah, I can do it. If you will help me, I can do it," the man told her confidently. Apparently, Kara did inspire confidence in others. This was good. They would need all the confidence they could get.

"Great. I have a cat to feed and a house to keep up. Make a breach to Midvale tomorrow. If you miss keep doing it until you get it right. Pack a bag. Once you are settled in, then we begin. Now, unless anyone has any other questions, Alex and I need to get back. Raleigh isn't being evacuated or placed under martial law so we are going dancing tonight. If anyone wants to join us, bring your big transport and contact Alex for the address."

No one joined them that night. Kara had no problem with this as she had only asked to be polite. She and her big sister had not been dancing together in a very long time, Alex worried about the temptation being around so much alcohol would cause. The blonde admitted to herself that the urge to use was intense but it was worth it. The two needed this, being the Danvers sisters again, enjoying themselves, taking advantage of the brief respites of violence in their lives.

 **Midvale**

Cisco Ramon felt good today. Based on Barry's description and a satellite photo, he had opened a breach in the back of Kara and Alex's home successfully on his first attempt. The driveway was long and hidden from the nearest street and the front of the house faced the ocean far below the cliff. Cisco didn't need to wear gloves any longer, but he held onto the glasses, more as a safety crutch than an essential need. The devices helped him focus.

Getting from one city to another was one thing. Opening a breach inside a space ship in open space, one of hundreds, from Earth, would be another problem.

The man prepared himself to do something he never thought he would do. He would be bunking with Supergirl. Only Barry had spent the night here once after the Red Ring incident and the two had their epic breakup less than 48 hours later. Cisco had no idea what living with Supergirl full time would be like. He did know that Barry would be texting often, poorly veiled questions about Kara, disguised as questions about his wellbeing.

Barry had no doubt been hurt the day before though he wouldn't admit it. Kara had arrived and in his mind basically ignored Barry other than telling the others once again that the Flash would be fighting the venom lady with tentacles. Cisco wasn't surprised though. He had seen another side to Kara Danvers yesterday, a side he doubted Barry knew about.

The Kara Danvers in the Lab had no time for emotions. She was there to plan, to order, to gather intel. She told them what they were doing was wrong and how they were now going to do it. She told Batman his plan wouldn't work and he didn't argue. No one questioned her. She told them that Cisco would get the job done. Vibe had never inspired confidence in others when it came to his abilities. He did the bet best he could, worked to get better, but never felt the members of the Justice League considered him at any sort of level.

But if Kara Danvers said she would have him ready, they believed her. Now he just had to believe in himself and do his best not to be intimidated by the women around him. Kara's comment to Barry the night they split about Cisco being a joke had stuck with him, even if he didn't want to admit it.

"You going to stand there all day?" Alex asked from the tree she was leaning against, to his right and not far away.

"Hi...Alex? Is it okay if I call you Alex?"

Alex nodded then took the man's bag from his shoulder beckoning him to follow her inside. Cisco followed in silence, taking in the place as quickly as he could.

The man was taken back by the domesticity of the house. The area was warm, inviting and brightly decorated, not the lair of two brooding superheroes he expected. Wayne Manor's decor matched Bruce Wayne's demeanor. This didn't seem to match the demeanor he suspected from the two sisters.

""Looking for the secret hideout?" Alex asked.

"No...I am just...you have a really nice home."

"Thank you." Alex told him, continuing up the stairs and showing him to the guest bedroom. "Come down when you are unpacked for breakfast. Your room is across from mine. You only get a view of the woods but you won't be here much during the day. You have a lot of work to do, Cisco. Get your bags put where you want them, come down for breakfast and we can begin. Our parents, Clark and Kara are already at the Fortress. I got to sleep in waiting for you."

Cisco looked around his room, taking in as much as he could. He had no idea how long he would be here or what this training involved. Considering the training her DEO friends put Barry through, which involved getting shot often, he was not sure he wanted to find out. When he asked Batman what he thought, the man told him to pack his bags and get to the Danvers.

The room was large and nicely decorated, a bit impersonal except for the beautiful paintings on the wall that he suspected Kara had done herself.

Cisco noted on the way back that Kara and Alex's doors were shut and there was absolutely no way he would be entering those. Those girls could keep the mounted heads of aliens they killed on their walls for all he knew.

Ramon found Alex in the kitchen breakfast nook where she said she would be, eating a glazed donut.

"Since Kara has decided to use her powers she has done away with her obsession over healthy food. If I had to eat one more egg white omelet with broccoli I would have thrown the plate at her head. Grab a couple and down them. I have a lot of work today. We have clothes you can borrow at the Fortress."

"Clothes...you...wait, what Fortress?"

Alex stopped chewing for a moment then finished her donut quickly. "Barry never told you about the Fortress of Solitude?"

Cisco racked his brain, thinking that would be something he would remember. "He mentioned that you guys had a secret headquarters somewhere but didn't give details. So is it like the Batcave? Underground or built in the cliff?"

"Grab your donut and follow me." Alex ordered.

Cisco ate quickly, not really even tasting the breakfast treat. He followed the brunette behind a door that she used a palm reader to gain access and then down a set of stairs. He expected this to be the headquarters but all he found was a basement, filled with what looked like leftover bike parts and a gun cleaning bench. A check of the other side of the room showed military grade firearms and even those appeared modified.

"I though you used alien weapons." the man mentioned casually.

"I use whatever gets the job done. I took an alien out with a bow and arrow I made in the Amazon rainforest we were hunting him in. Big guy, armor like scales, and I killed him with a sharpened stick through his eyeball into his brain. It's all about getting the job done, right?"

"Right." Cisco whispered.

"Have you ever had to kill anyone, Cisco?"

The man shook his head.

"I truly hope it stays that way. I mean that. All you have to do is get our team on the ship and if you come under attack...do what you have to do,." Alex told him. He listened to her closely and it was obvious that she wasn't looking down on him for his lack of a body count. Instead she seemed resigned, even a bit sad that it would happen eventually.

"So this is the big hideout?" he guessed, sorely underwhelmed. For a workshop belonging to a couple bikers it was neat. Not so much for Supergirl and company.

Alex grinned and slid a panel in the wall, showing an extra room. The room was small only containing a metal door that appeared welded to the wall with no door handle.

"Kelex, I am coming through with Ramon."

The metal door changed into a doorway of pure bright energy causing the man to step away from it.

"Relax." Alex told him. "It's a Rann doorway, like the one Barry had in his closet before Kara tore it out. There is one in the Hangar at Raleigh, one at my parent's house and one at the Batcave. All doors open to one place."

Alex offered her hand and Cisco took it, closing his eyes and letting Alex pull him through.

He had felt a slight hum when he went through but it was gone in seconds. Vibe slowly opened his eyes but was definitely not expecting the giant crystal cavern he was in. It was vast, tall, crystal desks, giant projectors, a cylindric computer resembling Brother Eye in the center. Despite the certainty he felt that the floors were ice, the room was comfortable temperature wise as Alex and Kara's house.

"Oh my God." he finally whispered.

"Welcome to the Fortress of Solitude." Alex told him, a bit amused by his reaction though she had seen others like it before.

"It's...it's beautiful."

"C'mon, I'll show you around."

"This is under your house?" Cisco asked, not believing it.

"No, this is a very secluded area of Antarctica. The Rann transporter is one of those pieces of tech Kara told you she worried about the Government getting a hold of, outside of our friends in the DEO. It also has an intense layer of energy that will disintegrate you, even if you did manage to get past the palm reader to open the gate without one of us with you. Never try to breach inside here without one of us. If an unknown lifeform pops up who isn't on the cleared list, the Fortress defense systems are automatically activated. Think of crystal spikes growing from the ground immediately, hundreds of lasers from the ceilings firing with accuracy and our care taker with a deadly face chasing you all over the place. I think you have talked to Kelex before, right?"

Cisco turned slowly and saw the metal creature behind him. Barry had described Kelex as a small floating robot with a singular vision port that could emit a high powered beam, similar to Kara's heat vision.

What was before him was a six foot terminator.

"By the surprise on your face I suppose word of my recent upgrades has not reached your ears, Cisco Ramon. Alex, I do hope you haven't brought Ramon here to second guess my tactical decisions. Are you and Kara not capable of fulfilling that role yourselves any longer?"

Alex shook her head, irritated already by Kelex. "Stop the smart ass comments, Kelex. This is war and you know why he is here. Get him some weather gear together from the survival closet while I finish showing him around."

Cisco followed Alex around the Fortress, trying to take it all in and realizing he couldn't. Behind the beauty, it was obvious alien tech was all around him, tech he had never dreamed of and probably couldn't understand. For instance, tech that allowed Barry's indestructible suit to be absorbed and released from a small crystal ring.

They weaved in and out of crystal columns until they came to a row of glass cases with mannequins inside. Multiple cases held Supergirl costumes, the one she primarily wore, the armored one, what was left of it, from the Doomsday fight, the one she had been wearing the first time they had met in person and a few others he doubted the public would ever see her in.

Across from that row was another holding more sinister appearing outfits. He recognized the bronze and silver outfit Alex used to wear, another like it only black, and one that had shimmery material, with a mask that completely covered her head, mouth included. He had heard about the impromptu sparring session Supergirl had with Barry and Diana, along with Alex practically turning invisible and guessed this was the suit that had been talked about.

One suit was practically armor, something you might see a soldier wear in a sci-fi war movie.

The last mannequin was missing a suit.

Walking farther along behind Alex, Cisco saw where the suit was. They had stepped into a large crystal circle that appeared to be a workshop for the Danvers. A mannequin was present, like the stealth suit, this costume covering the whole head, eyes and mouth. It appeared to be a high tech wing suit, less material than the one worn by human extreme sports enthusiasts but the man suspected just as strong.

Another big difference in the costume was the massive amount of energy it was being struck with. Clark Danvers was unleashing his heat vision into the material, hot enough that even from thirty feet away Cisco was beginning to sweat. Kelex joined the boy and unleashed his laser vision and the heat intensified.

"That's enough." a new voice called, Eliza Danvers walking in the room. Both boy and robot stopped immediately.

The mother approached the suit with a tablet in her hand and Alex joined her, leaving Cisco standing by himself, not sure what to do.

"The mannequin underneath shows the body temperature is holding up. That's as much energy as we can use on it. If Flower is distracted most of her energy will be focused on one target. So long as you aren't the target, I believe the suit will hold up. Now you just need practice. Lobo is coming by this afternoon?" Eliza asked her daughter.

Alex confirmed that he was and came back to Cisco, a look telling him to follow.

"So uh...that's the suit you are going to use to fight that energy sucking Worldkiller?" he asked.

Alex nodded. "Yes, but I don't want to talk about the plan. It's not that I don't trust you, I just don't need anyone else telling me how reckless and idiotic it is. I know it's reckless and idiotic and I specialize in using those techniques with success."

They walked into another crystal surrounded structure and Cisco honestly had no idea where the door to get out of this place even was. Jeremiah Danvers was standing in the middle, staring at a life size hologram of Reign, internal organs showing along with a series of lines in red and blue. Cisco was not Caitlin when it came to biology but he was fairly certain he was seeing the central and peripheral nervous system.

On his desk...or Alex's...was a steel box with the words KARA DO NOT TOUCH! in large letters on the top and front and back.

"Hello, Cisco. We didn't have a chance to talk long at the Christmas party...or the last time we were in the same room together. It's good to see you again."

Cisco took his hand and returned the greeting. Jeremiah tried to show a relaxed demeanor but Vibe was not fooled.

"What are you working on? Can I ask, or..."?

Jeremiah shook his head and smiled warmly. "Of course you can ask. This isn't new technology. It's a diagram of Reign's body using what we know of Kara's body and including Reign's mutations. This gives us as detailed look as we can find at the nervous system of a Kryptonian, Worldkiller or not. Martial arts have been practiced for thousands of years on this planet. Smaller, weaker opponents have always been able to take down larger, stronger opponents because they knew that strength and speed aren't everything. Using your head in a fight is key.

"There are two straightforward ways to kill someone, anyone in a fight. The first is breaking the neck. There are several ways this can be accomplished but it is not easy to fight someone as strong and as fast as you to the point you can place them in the correct hold. Kara has done this twice to Kryptonians as strong and as fast as her and took a lot of damage in both fights. She may not be able to sustain that damage with a woman faster and stronger than she is. Because of this, she is going to employ a technique she has known but never had a reason to use. She will hit Reign in the exact spot to explode her heart without breaking through the skin. That will make Reign defenseless long enough for Kara to break her neck. Once the neck is gone, so is the nervous system, so is the ability for Kryptonians to absorb sunlight. I think if she can destroy the heart and break the neck, mutations or not, Reign is dead."

"You think?" Cisco asked, realizing Jeremiah didn't exactly sound confident.

Jeremiah nodded and let out a breath. "It's all theory until the fight happens."

Cisco saw the poorly concealed worry in the man's eyes. He had never considered how hard it must be, knowing your children were risking their lives so often to protect others. The strain was noticeable on his face. How many fathers spent their free time devising methods for their daughters to kill super strong mutated aliens bent on destruction?

"C'mon Ramon. Kara is waiting. Put on the clothes Kelex is going to get for you and meet me way over there by the very tall door." Alex ordered.

Ten minutes later, with brief instructions from Alex, a bundled up Cisco Ramon, resembling a polar explorer more than a superhero metahuman, trudge through knee deep snow in the general direction of where Alex pointed at Kara. The snowfall was light but the white suit and blonde hair still made her hard to make out.

When he finally found her, she was sitting cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed.

"Hi Kara."

"Hello, Cisco." she answered, her eyes never opening.

"Uh...what are you doing? Meditating?" Cisco supposed with her anything could be possible.

"I'm fighting." she answered.

"In your head?"

"That's where fighting is done. If you wait until you are hit, you are at an immediate disadvantage. I fought my aunt from the age of 13 every day for five years. When I finally met her, I had an advantage. The fight wasn't new to me. I killed her every day in my head for five years. The one time I met her in person, I already knew how it would go. I would win, she would die and I would live with killing her. Thank you for coming. I wasn't sure you would."

The man shrugged his shoulders and grinned, not that it could be seen behind the ski mask and scarf covering his face. "You said you needed me to save the world. Not everyday Supergirl says that. I wasn't going to miss this."

"Even though I scare the hell out of you?" Kara asked, a small smile gracing her face as she looked up into the sunlit sky.

"Can you see the moon?" she asked him.

"No."

"You couldn't see my house from Central City, could you?" Kara asked.

"Of course not."

"Then you shouldn't need to see the moon to make a breach onto it. Open one. I don't care where you open one, just get me to the surface."

Kara made it sound so easy. It took a lot of concentration and focus to get to Midvale. It was the longest distance he had ever breached before in the same universe.

"I'm not sure..."

"Do it now!" Kara shouted and walked toward him quickly, the peaceful expression she had completely destroyed now.

Cisco closed his eyes and reached out, a breach forming immediately. Kara did not hesitate, walking straight into the suddenly present hole in the fabric of the universe.

The man wondered if he should keep the breach open but the strain was beginning to hurt him. He thought he had sent her to the moon, he was fairly certain she could get back.

Unable to hold it anymore, he closed the breach.

The man was at a loss, not sure what to do. Should he try to get back into the giant door he now noticed was closed to the Fortress? Should he knock? He couldn't breach in. Crystal spikes, hundreds of laser beams and a Terminator did not sound appealing.

Neither did staying in this temperature sound appealing since he was quickly resembling a snowman as the snow climbed higher on his body.

Fifteen minutes of indecision later and the matter was decided for him. Supergirl had landed.

She had done a superhero landing and her eyes were glowing, the temperature increasing to the point ice and snow began melting around him.

"What...why...where...what are you doing...why are your eyes glowing?" he finally got out.

Kara smiled. "To get you free of the ice and snow that seems to want to take over your body and make you one with the Earth. Why didn't you go back inside to wait for me?"

Cisco had no answer for that, simply relieved that she wasn't going to turn him to ash and enjoying the warmth that was entering his body once more.

"I wasn't sure if Alex would kill me if I sent you someplace that you would be lost. I thought it might be better to take my chances with the coldest place on Earth."

Kara actually laughed. "Probably a good call but I can take care of myself and she knows that. I'll get you a com so you can keep in touch with Kelex while you are here. He can let you in. You are cold. Let's go back to Midvale and tonight you can see the moon and try again. Once you get a feel for it we can try in daylight again, without the subzero temperature. When the moon is a sure thing we can launch J'onn's ship into orbit and focus on that."

Cisco was very relieved that she seemed to be in a good humor. He must have gotten close to the moon.

"So where did the breach open up to?" he asked, beginning the slow walk back. That ended when he felt small arms wrap around him and the two were at the large door to the Fortress in a second.

"International Space Station. No big deal. I knew a couple of the Russian astronauts, said hi, then slipped out of the cargo area."

The next two weeks went by slowly but by the end, Cisco had managed to breach both of them onto J'onn and Bruce's ship. The man had become confident in his abilities, even working on vibrational blasts in Antarctica with Kara watching. He felt he had learned more about his powers and controlling them with her than anyone else who had helped him in the past. Kara was a surprisingly patient teacher.

He knew where she got it from. Cisco had watched Dante train Caitlin before in the exact same manner. When it came to preparing for battle, he could see her and Dante's personalities matched each other.

He had spoken to his friends, Barry mostly since he had been gone but not often. Usually at the end of the day, he was just too tired. Barry did his best to not directly ask about Kara and Cisco gave vague answers to his non questions, knowing that Kara could hear no matter where she was and not wanting to become involved.

At night, he would sometimes walk out onto the porch and watch Alex and Kara after dinner dancing by the cliff. Dancing would be the only word he could think of. Some might say they were sparring, but neither ever touched the other. Kara wore some sort orof bracelet that dimmed her powers and the two went through an almost choreographed routine a flurry of strikes, kicks, ducks and drops, that was an amazing display of speed and agility. It was hypnotizing to watch and he suspected it was a form of meditation for the two sisters.

On his last night, he finally had the courage to approach Kara on the front porch swing.

"You've done well, Cisco. Better than I ever hoped. I know you will succeed,." she told him, not with pride but in the matter of fact tone she usually had when her mind was someplace else.

"Thanks. I appreciate your help.," he told her then sat in silence on the rocking chair next to the swing.

"Barry..."

"Has been asking about me. I know." Kara finished.

"You uh...you think you might call him? Just to say hi? He has been working hard and..."

"...until the Diasporans are all dead along with the Worldkillers, nothing else matters."

Kara stopped for a moment before turning to Cisco, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight, her tone so serious that Cisco could feel dread building up in his chest.

"We are about to go to war, the scope of which I have never personally fought. Barry has a problem. He is preparing to challenge the deadliest creature he will most likely ever fight in his life and he is asking about me. If I call him, his focus will shift from where it should be to me. Nobody needs that Cisco. I've told him our relationship, the two of us together, wouldn't work. I have wished for so many years that it could, but it won't. There is no point in stringing this along and if I speak to him, he will want more."

Kara paused for a moment, considering her words before continuing.

"Cisco, people are going to die in this war. I estimate if the battle isn't over in six hours at the longest, the Earth is lost. Even if I kill them all, the damage would be catastrophic, set the countries back centuries, crash the world economy, change the environment, destroy crops, cause famine, greater crime, a breakdown in civility and law. We can win and still lose if we don't end this quickly and decisively. Nothing you ever do will be as important as what you are about to take part in. That is what matters. It's the only thing that matters. Barry needs to focus on that, not me. I distract him."

Cisco said nothing else on the subject. There was nothing else to be said. He had spent nearly all his time around the Danvers the past two weeks and they had been warm and welcoming.

Despite the warmth, one thing he picked up was clear. He was an outsider. Everyone was. The whole family, cat and robot included, acted as one unit. Kara and Alex were able to speak to each other with only a look at times and in the house had no problem speaking Kryptonese, not just to keep secrets but to laugh, kid, talk about movies. They used the language at times as if it was Alex's first language and used English at others slipping between the two easily. The robot could anticipate their needs before they knew what they needed. The whole family knew what projects the others were involved in. He had observed this level of teamwork with the Justice League but this was different. This was a family. He was figuring out something that Barry had figured out long ago and Cisco told him not to worry about. The Danvers had close friends, allies, those they trusted but the five of them were hard to become a part of. They isolated themselves from the outside world for years and had no intention of changing.

 **Two Weeks Later**

Kara and Alex stood in front of their childhood home with their parents and brother. They were about to split apart, hopefully not for the last time. Lobo would be here soon, him and Alex taking off on what Kara still considered a reckless mission that had the best chance of succeeding. Her parents and Clark would be with Kelex in the Fortress watching everything and Kara would be flying to meet a demonic woman she had hoped in the past to never face.

It was 3 AM in Midvale, the ships already seen by Kara's vision and spreading out to surround the planet, the Lanterns spreading out with them. The cities had been empty since last week, only the military patrolling the streets. Fighter jets around the world from every country that could help were prepared to take flight at a moment's notice. Naval ships had their large guns pointed at the night sky, or day depending on what hemisphere they were in.

Kara and Alex were suited up, Kara in her traditional costume with a red skirt and blue top and Alex in her white high altitude infiltration wingsuit.

"Kara?" Bruce's voice in her com.

"Not yet, Bruce. Give it twenty, see what ships make it to the atmosphere first. The battle has to start."

"Diana, J'onn, Curry and Barry just need a location. I've got Brother Eye down as we agreed, so I need your eyes and ears."

"I know Bruce." Kara told him, glad he couldn't see her roll her eyes. Despite the fear that was building up, fear for her loved ones, fear for Alex and fear for humanity, a sense of calm was enveloping Kara. A fight was coming. Once it started she would feel more comfortable. She had to. She usually did.

Bruce had agreed to turn off Brother Eye so the signal couldn't be tracked to the Batcave. As such Alfred would be in the Fortress helping the Justice League but Bruce did not like not having a presence at the Batcave.

Bruce would get over it. Once he was in space there would be nothing he could need Brother Eye for regardless.

Kara saw a blast of red light up the night sky. To an unsuspecting onlooker who didn't know an invasion was coming, it might have appeared to be a far off firework. Kara saw it clearly though and grinned.

"Of course Guy took the first shot." she whispered, still torn a bit by how much she wanted to be up there, how easy it would be.

She could save lives. She also knew if she lost herself to the temptation there may be no one to save the Universe from her and her followers. She wouldn't make it back to her family and that wasn't an option.

Shortly after the red blast, the night sky exploded, streaks of red, green, white and purple energy blasts from Diasporan plasma cannons.

"Got them." Kara whispered, grabbing Alex's hand.

Four streaks, like small comets heading straight for Earth.

"Kara, Alex?" Kelex called. "You were right, Flower of Heaven is on course for Peterson Airforce Base, headquarters of NORAD."

"Lobo, you here yet?" Alex asked.

"Landing in five on the beach. Get down here. We got a lot to do and time is short."

Kara pulled Alex into a hug.

"No goodbyes." Alex told her before anyone else could speak. "We will be here tonight, all together and Dad is going to grill chicken."

Alex began walking towards the beach after giving quick hugs to her parents and Clark, with Kara by her side. They took their time despite the circumstances and Lobo landing on the sand below.

"We come back, promise?" Alex asked her.

A tear slipped down Kara's cheek but she smiled and nodded her head.

"Together." Kara assured her. "Now go kill a Worldkiller."

The blonde gave Lobo a wave and the ship was gone quickly. Lobo wouldn't bother using a transporter to get to Canada. He could be there in less than ten minutes and needed Flower to pick a spot.

Kara flew back to the top of the cliff where her family stood, watching Alex fly off.

"Go to the Fortress. Prepare the Plasma canons. If Lobo fails to distract her, fire until Alex is almost on top of her."

Clark wrapped his arms around Kara while she accepted hugs from her father and a kiss on her forehead from a tearful mother, then the three walked to their basement to enter the Fortress.

"Kara?"

"Yeah Bruce?"

"We are going to win. We always do. Stay calm, okay? How are you feeling?"

"Like I need a drink." Kara told him, trying to laugh and pass it off as a joke.

"You got this. We all do. Stay sharp and focused, like we always do, right?"

Kara shook her head. "Don't get emotional on me Batman. We have a war to fight. Kelex?"

"Deimax and Perrilus are on a course for Metropolis. If they can take out the DEO headquarters and Flower takes out NORAD, the militaries of the world will be in chaos." the robot told her.

"Your team is up Bruce."

Bruce said nothing but Kara could hear the JL transport starting up in the background. They were on their way to Metropolis from Gotham and would be waiting for the two monsters, while Batman, her DEO friends and Cisco Ramon would attempt to infiltrate an alien ship.

Kara waited patiently for the next piece of intelligence. Everyone had their targets except her.

"Kelex." Kara prodded.

"I have her. She is on top of the CatCo building."

Kara shook her head and grinned.

"I guess I shouldn't keep her waiting then."


	47. Chapter 47

**Do not own DC or CW characters.**

 **A/N Big thanks as always to my beta AsgardianBlade who has made this mess of a chapter readable for you all.**

 **Chapter 47 War**

 **Colorado Springs**

"We are going to be late."

Lobo rolled his eyes.

"We aren't going to be late." he assured Alex. "Colorado Springs is a minute away. I can see that bitch's glow already. She is going to suck the power out of that installation then blow it up. She won't be in a hurry. I'm heading high so put your ridiculous helmet ski mask thing on. You look like an idiot by the way."

Alex opened the steel kit containing the small crystals she had been working on since they had decided they would be in this fight. The idea had come to Alex during a family conversation where her father bluntly pointed out to Kara that her little blonde sister could not beat Flower of Heaven.

Alex realized he was right. The creature would be as strong if not stronger than Kara, as indestructible as Kara, and all Kara could do was make it stronger with her heat vision and even possibly her ring if she used it.

Then the Black Mercy popped into her head.

The Black Mercy incident gave her the idea she could manipulate Kara's brainwaves to mimic the effects of the medications she had been taking. Because Kelex was able to link Kara's mind with Alex's using a crystal, the older sister knew the crystals could be formed, manipulated, tweaked, anything she needed them to be to affect brain chemistry.

The danger of what she was doing became apparent the first time Kara accidentally put on an untested crystal sedative band and was knocked out immediately for eight hours. Luckily, Alex had only been designing the crystals with positive effects in mind.

As soon as her father pointed out the obvious in that family conversation the solution presented itself.

She had the answers she needed already in the databanks.

The Black Mercy manipulated Kara's brainwaves, feeding off them and would have eventually caused brain death after 48 or so hours.

All Alex had to do was copy the brain waves the Black Mercy used on her sister and accelerate them. Instead of taking 48 hours, the attack would cause the Worldkiller's brain to shut down instantly. No matter how mutated, according to Zor El's data, they were still Kryptonian and their brain waves worked the same.

In theory.

The problem was getting a crystal to touch the head of a Worldkiller. Her plan needed Lobo and his ship to succeed. She needed him to get her high enough that she could dive out of his ship without being noticed while he flew in a wide arc around the Worldkiller using the cannons on his ship to attack the Worldkiller, feeding her energy for a distraction.

Once that was done, all Alex had to do was guide herself at over a hundred miles an hour in a controlled fall, hoping the suit would allow her to slow down and adjust course as needed, land on the back of a creature radiating extreme energy and fluttering large butterfly like wings, hold the crystal against the creature's forehead for at least two seconds and then jump off. In her mind the suit would survive the heat, stay in one piece and she could soar to the ground, right after Flower's body causes a crater.

As Lobo's ship flew higher and higher, Alex began to realize how dumb of a plan this was.

"You got your crystals strapped on?" Lobo asked.

Alex confirmed she did, five black crystal stars on both arms. Only one was needed but backups were a must.

She looked to the Earth and saw the lights of the base. She also saw the glowing Worldkiller arrive in a streak of light, hovering over it.

"She is here. Time for me to jump. I have something important to tell you. If she hits your ship it is possible the blast could incinerate you. If that happens, Kelex has the Ion canon in the Gulf of Mexico, ready to fire a burst to keep distracting her, so you can go to your death at peace, knowing I will be okay."

Lobo looked at the white clad girl for a moment and shook his head. "You really do overestimate your importance in my life, don't you?"

Alex lifted her hard polymer mask a bit and kissed the Czarnian on the cheek. "No, I don't, and you know it."

Putting the mask back in place, hoping the fabric allowed her to breathe as Kelex said it would, hoping it could stand up to the heat her mother thought it could...

Alex realized she was counting a lot on hope so instead of thinking too much about it, she opened the back door and jumped 28,000 feet above the ground.

Alex had quite a few jumps under her belt from her time at the DEO, but she had only started using this wingsuit in the last two weeks. Her practice had been limited to Kara or Lobo taking her high and dropping her over Antarctica, then Kara catching her before she hit the ground hard. After a week she was able to come down fairly easy after some tweaks to the suit. A filter Kelex swore would store air went through the exoskeleton and would allow her to breath a bit on the way down, provided the suit stayed airtight.

This stunt was the definition of desperate times calling for desperate measures. Alex had decided the only way to approach Flower was to wear a suit that had no power source, so it wouldn't be affected by the monster. That meant it was on her. Her skill. Her body.

The brunette noticed she was moving much faster than she anticipated. Alex would have to slow down to have any chance of not breaking her body on the indestructible alien.

She leveled her body out, fabric from her arms to hips and between her ankles to back, catching her as if a parachute had jerked her up slowed her momentum. Far below she saw light blasts coming from Lobo's ship and worried that he may be attacked any moment. the Worldkiller however did not appear ready to attack, instead absorbing the energy she was being attacked with.

Alex guessed she had twenty seconds until she reached the altitude of Flower. She wondered what her speed was, but did not have a speedometer on her, worried if she had even a small power source her enemy would sense her.

The brunette angled her body, squeezing and then opening her thighs and arms, maneuvering through the sky.

At ten seconds, Alex had the right angle and the perfect curve to swoop in. Lobo was still firing at the glowing enemy from fifty or so yards in front of the creature, but Alex barely paid any mind. She had a bigger problem.

The speed she was moving was much too fast. She would break herself on the Worldkiller.

Using her core strength to twist her legs in front of her, a gust of wind caught her, decelerating her a bit.

With five seconds to impact she felt the heat from the creature.

Lobo had stopped firing, but the monster was incredibly charged.

Alex managed to swoop in at the correct angle, decelerating from the fifty-five miles per hour she estimated she had been falling.

Instead the girl struck the back of the Flower of Heaven at closer to forty miles an hour. The wind was knocked out of her, her suit only being able to cushion so much force. Her head struck the body, making her instantly delirious.

Wrapping her arms around the creature's neck, Alex had enough presence of mind to use her right hand, grab a crystal off her left wrist and press it to the Worldkillers forehead.

The girl lost all sense of time, holding her broken body onto the floating creature as long as possible.

Then she was free falling. Alex opened her eyes, satisfied the monster was falling as well. She took advantage of her conscious state to notice the fabric of her wing suit had been severely burned, but the main body held. Not that it would matter. What was left of her body would be crushed as soon as she hit the ground. There would be no gliding in safely or being caught by Kara. Alex had done what she set out to do, take down a Worldkiller. She killed this thing before it could kill her little sister. That was all that mattered. Her eyes closed, her last thought of Kara before the darkness overtook her.

Lobo winced when Alex hit the Worldkiller, knowing she had come in too fast. In his mind he could imagine the sound of her bones cracking when she hit that super glow bug from behind. The girl had held on and after a few seconds, the Flower of Heaven was falling straight to Hell.

There was no doubt in his mind that even if Alex's suit had survived, she would not be in any condition to make it the four thousand feet to the ground.

Lobo began circling the falling girl then flew towards the ground accelerating past Alex. The back-loading dock of his ship opened and he moved in front of her falling body, both racing towards the ground vertically.

As he slowed, Alex inched closer into his bay. Once her body was inside, the loading door slammed shut. The Czarnian jerked the ship up and rose, barely missing a small mountain. Once he leveled out, Lobo made a wide turn and managed to hover then land in the middle of Peterson Air Force Base.

A quick check showed him Alex was in trouble. She had a cracked sternum he guessed, a broken collarbone and pulling off her mask, he could see a deep bruise on her forehead. It was a miracle she stayed awake to push the crystal to that monster's head long enough for it to work. He suspected her skull was fractured. There could also be nerve damage if her spine was compromised in any way.

He opened the landing bay and stepped out, surrounded by hundreds of soldiers aiming rifles at him.

"Who the hell is in charge?" the man yelled.

No one stepped forward.

"I asked a question. The lady that just took down the monster who was about to have you boys for breakfast is injured, bad. I need a team of medics in here. Hurry up before I start killing everyone at this damn base and find the hospital on my own!"

The majority of the soldiers looked at a man closest to Lobo who nodded and motioned for the others to stand down. Lobo walked up to the man who must have been the leader of this rag tag band.

"Name's Lobo and I am with the DEO. I got to go over the ridge and make sure that thing is dead. Keep your soldiers away from it because I don't know if she is going to explode when I cut her head off. My girl is inside and just hit that thing at forty-two miles an hour. She is messed up. You keep her alive or I will slaughter every one of you assholes when I get back. Move now!"

Lobo stepped back inside with Alex, keeping an eye on her breathing and checking her pupils, glad to see they were equally responsive. A group of four men brought a stretcher in and Lobo gently lay her on the device then followed her into the base. Seeing doctors swarming her, the man marched back out to his ship, ignoring the hundreds of gawking soldiers. Moving to the side of his ship he opened a hatch and pulled out a lead cased box Connolly had given him. Grabbing the machete like Kryptonite long blade he ran, climbing the small mountains with ease at incredible speed. The glow had gone but he found the body easily enough.

Without her glow she didn't look so intimidating. Just a pale blonde woman, with butterfly wings that were crumpled. She wasn't breathing. He carefully pulled back her pupils and saw they were non-responsive.

Alex's execution may have turned into a physical disaster for her body, but damn could that girl make some weapons.

Lifting her up by the hair, the man swung the blade, the Worldkiller's body dropping but her head remaining in his grip.

To his relief there was no explosion. Lobo doubted his tactical vest over his otherwise bare chest would have given him much protection and he didn't want to waste time healing. Taking the head with him, he ran back to the base, not being challenged as he marched in.

The humans cleared the way for him as he walked back to where they had taken Alex.

An older man was standing outside the surgical suite, wearing a dress uniform and bars.

"You there. You in charge?"

The officer nodded his head, trying to meet the bounty hunter's eyes. Lobo dropped the blonde creature's head at his feet.

"The DEO is gonna be by after this mess is over to pick this damn thing up. I left the body where it landed. Keep your men on alert. This base could still be attacked from air. You better keep my girl safe. What's her condition?"

"They are preparing her for surgery. She woke up...she is asking for a Kara? She may have a cracked skull, internal bleeding and isn't very coherent. We are waiting on the X-rays to determine what is most pressing but the internal bleeding in her torso would be the biggest concern at the moment."

"Where is she?"

Lobo followed the man into the med bay doors and found Alex on a rolling hospital bed.

True to the man's word, she was awake. She met his eyes and was able to focus on him. Alex gave him a small smile.

"I can't believe I talked my parents and Kara into letting me do that." she whispered.

"That bitch took everything I gave her." Lobo told her. "We weren't taking her down with weapons. You saved NORAD. Now you rest. They are gonna fix you up and I'll be back for you."

'No!" Alex shouted. "I have to get to...somewhere. Kara...Kara is going to need a weapon...I need to get the venom and..."

"This fight is over for you Little Danvers. I made a giant swarm of robotic insects that killed everyone on my planet. I think I can weaponize venom from a Worldkiller. I'll be back for you. Do what they say."

"Promise...promise to help Kara."

"Go to sleep, Alex." Lobo told her firmly, knowing he couldn't help Kara. "It will be okay. I need to go now. More ass to kick out there and I'm going to have to do double the work without my favorite partner."

Alex closed her eyes as the nurses came out, pulling her away to surgery. Lobo took a deep breath.

He had to get to Metropolis.

The man raced to his ship and sent a message to Kelex with information on Alex's physical state and assurances she would live. He hoped he wasn't lying.

 **Metropolis**

"What's the situation Jack?" Connolly asked.

"Two Worldkillers are being engaged by the League but they are working their way here. Streets are empty. Enemy fighters are breaking atmosphere all over the world. Looks like Lobo and Alex pulled off their jobs. NORAD is still in one piece and the Flower of Heaven is dead. Satellites are all but wiped out, but Kelex is sending probes all over the world every twenty minutes. Looks like the Lanterns are holding their own but are thin in some areas. I expect at least a cruiser or two to land somewhere, either here or overseas and then we will have ground troops to deal with."

"Bruce, Caitlin Snow and Cisco are ready. Do we have a read on the flagship?"

"Winn, show us probe feeds." Webb ordered. "The flagship is hanging back, almost on the far side of the moon, but it can accelerate fast. I think it is waiting for a hole. I wouldn't recommend jumping onto it until the damn thing is closer and engaged."

"They won't expect us to enter now. We need to move." Connolly decided, ignoring Webb's advice as he often did.

He gathered Wayne and the two agreed now was the time. The Flagship was huge. It could take hours to find information, the King, sneak around or try and win a fight with thousands of aliens resembling walking snakes on their home turf. Waiting until it was almost in atmosphere or being attacked by Lanterns didn't seem the wisest choice considering they were on a clock since this thing began.

"Ramon!" Connolly called. "You are up. Get us on that ship. Preferably somewhere we aren't seen but anything that isn't open space will do. Double check your weapons everybody. Time to take the fight to them."

 **National City**

Kara made the trip quickly, moving across country, staying low, ignoring the sounds of battle hundreds of miles above her. She knew enemy ships were breaking into the atmosphere, but the Lanterns appeared to be holding their own, judging by the limited amount of large ships.

Those weren't her problem. Her problem was cleaning up more messes her father had created. Not for the first time, she wondered how the hell her father even trapped these creatures in the first place. She suspected after Worldkiller 1 escaped he designed fail safes for the others or simply brought the might of the House of Zod, joined with the intelligence of the House of El to trap them.

Kara had no intention of trapping them.

"Kelex, what is Alex's status?"

"Alex has succeeded and is safely on the ground. Flower of Heaven is dead. Your target is still stationary over the Catco building and I am picking up a minimal number of life forms outside of the city limits but for the most part, the battlefield is clear."

Kara listened closely for any deception from the robot, but it was futile. He may have developed emotions, but he was still a robot at heart. If he wanted to lie, there was no heartbeat for Kara to pick up, no facial expressions for her to read.

She just needed faith. Alex had done well in the practices they had and as long as she hit Flower at less than twenty miles an hour she would be fine. Her older sister had mastered the suit and her speed with great skill.

Alex would be fine. She had to be.

"Thanks, Kelex. Its time to test Reign's skills. Keep track of me."

"I always do." the robot assured her.

Kara found Reign soon enough, standing on top of the CatcCo tower in the center of a blackened Kryptonian symbol she had burnt into the top of the building.

Kara landed slowly in front of her, giving enough space to react but not within easy reach.

She took her enemy in seeing her for the first time without video or holograms.

The Worldkiller was hideous. Perhaps six-foot tall, athletic build and gray ashen skin. Her eyes were a deep red and hair midnight black. Her skull was misshapen tapering out towards the top with small protrusions barely peeking out of her hair.

"Kara Zor El," she greeted her in Kryptonese, "I was beginning to doubt you would come."

"Why would I not? You traveled all this way to destroy me. I wouldn't want to disappoint you. You aren't the first to want me dead and I am still here. You won't be the last. This is my planet. You didn't really think I would hide from another pathetic monster trying to make a name for herself, did you?"

Reign scowled and her eyes grew brighter, giving Kara the split second she needed to move her head out of the way and avoid a heat vision blast.

The blonde straightened her head back but stood her ground.

"It took you too long to build up your power. That is a weakness. Your vision should always be ready to unleash."

Kara demonstrated her point by blasting the unsuspecting Worldkiller on the chest, sending her to the ground.

Reign stood up with a growl.

"You have the DNA of Zor El and Lyta Zod. You were made to be a mutated soldier, all your combat skills hard wired into you. You should fight like a Kryptonian. Let's see what you got." Kara offered.

Reign needed no encouragement, rushing Kara, sending a barrage of strikes with her fists.

The blonde anticipated each strike and dodged rather than blocked, not giving Reign a chance to make any contact. It was true the speed of Reign's strikes showed her faster than Kara, but her moves were obvious, basic Kryptonian military guide combat training. It was a simple matter for Kara to dodge. Reign finally tried to kick her, allowing Kara to sweep the leg, and punching the Worldkiller in the face as soon as she hit the ground.

Reign was knocked through the roof sixty floors to the ground, causing a crater in the first floor of Catco.

Rather than following her down, Kara remained on the now unsteady roof and sent a strong blast of heat vision into the hole, lighting the Worldkiller up.

Reign stood against the onslaught and flew upwards into the blast. Kara seeing she had no effect any longer stopped and flew off the rooftop to maintain distance.

"Sloppy." the blonde told her nemesis. "Kryptonian combat skills hardwired into your DNA, along with intelligence and all it took was a simple leg sweep to take you down. Do you have any other skills that could be considered more advanced?"

The creature roared and attacked faster than she had before, hitting Kara in the jaw and sending her tumbling a hundred or so yards away into the sky.

Reign followed, moving in a straight line for the blonde. Once she reached Kara's stunned form she raised her fist back to crush the girl's skull.

Instead, she only hit air as Kara lay back just before Reign's fist would have landed.

Kara watched the woman's body fly over her and kicked her in the abdomen. The blonde suspected Reign had no real skill at flying. In the air, without the ground to center her, the monster's combat skills would not be as effective or strong.

Flying was a difficult skill to master, having taken Kara years to truly perfect. One important thing to learn was when fighting in the air, there is no up or down, left or right. A person is fighting without gravity but can still see the Earth as it rises above you then drops below. The effect on the equilibrium is difficult to become accustomed to.

Reign may have been faster in the sky but she had only flown as far as Kara knew, in space. Flying above a planet was very different.

The blonde moved in quick circles around Reign, causing the Worldkiller to look up, down, all over until Kara's fist struck her in the throat.

Kara saw her shot had her attention and began focusing on other soft parts of the body, causing her enemy significant pain. Using the blade of her hand, she struck the armpits, the back of the knees, a palm slap to the side of her head, then her brachial artery from the other side.

The girl knew she wouldn't kill Reign this way. She just had to make her frustrated. Brute force would not be on Kara's side in this fight.

The blonde's good fortune ended when Reign grabbed her by the cape and tossed her away, followed with a heat vision blast to the back of Kara's skull.

Kara knew it would have to end, knew she would be struck eventually but the severity of the blast surprised her. Reign felt only slightly less strong than Doomsday in terms of energy projection. A blast to her eyes or prolonged blasts to her body and she would be done.

Supergirl flew straight for the ground with Reign following. Just before she crashed, Kara leveled out and flew above the ground, skimming the surface at only three feet above the floor. A crash behind her let her know Reign was not as good at turning on a dime.

Kara knew Reign was furious, her instincts for battle giving way to her instincts for blood. She was easily able to lead the monster out of National City, past the DEO desert base and kept moving. Reign was having difficulty not hitting the ground on her chase since Kara heard several scrapes behind her, as if a high-speed bulldozer was carving through the landscape.

Finding the area she wanted, Kara zipped around a mountain into a steep canyon and stopped immediately, striking a chasing Reign in the head with a heat vision blast.

The two opponents now stared at each other above the ground that had suddenly dropped away into a twisting canyon.

"Why did you come to this planet? Why did you follow the King of Diaspora?" she asked.

Reign grinned despite the obvious frustration written on her twisted face.

"He wants Earth dead and offered me the chance to kill the last of the Kryptonians, the beloved daughter of our creator, the man who locked us away for eternity."

"Is he one of you? The King? Is he your leader?" Kara asked, hoping this monster would give her some clue.

"I have no leader. I was born to destroy, born to..."

"Yeah, I get it." Kara stopped her, frustrated. If she did know something, she wouldn't say. "He gave you my address, the opportunity to do what you love and you didn't ask questions. He is using you to distract me. For someone with so much intelligence hardwired into your body, you don't use it often, do you?"

Reign's grin was gone. Kara could tell the taunting was not what she expected. The Worldkiller expected a stand-up fight and was not getting it. Not yet.

"Okay," Kara told her, "let's see if you can get better at flying. I call this place Beggar's Canyon. Womp rats are endangered so you aren't allowed to kill any. Show me what you got."

Kara took off, low to the ground, not as low as before, but low enough to remain covered a bit by the top of the cliffs if Reign did not follow her but flew above instead.

Supergirl was correct in her guess Reign would follow her at the same height. The woman may have had the DNA of the House of Zod but strategic instincts had to be honed in war and Reign had never been in war.

Kara zipped through the narrow canyons, canyons she spent quite a bit of time in college practicing through. Flying through a forest without touching trees as a child, flying around skyscrapers of National City and what she lovingly referred to as Beggar's Canyon in college had made her an expert at agile maneuvers. Doing this sober made her even sharper.

Judging by the crashes she heard behind her, Reign was not having as much luck, obviously ramming the cliffs at every turn.

This would by no means injure Reign, but it would continue to frustrate her, making it easier to trap the monster.

Kara saw her objective soon enough, a hollowed out small cave in the middle of a tall cliff she had recently made. Moving into the dark passage quickly, she stopped and waited for Reign to come in behind her.

Supergirl was not disappointed. Reign did fly in and skidded to a stop in the dark.

Though she was stronger than Kara under any sun, the red rays that lit up the darkened hole distracted Reign, the loss of solar power obvious. She stood in one spot, attempting to find the source.

Kara took advantage, turning off the red sun ray device in her hand and struck with her restored strength at a still disoriented Reign, hitting the sternum of her enemy with the palm of her hand.

Kara heard Reign's heart flutter, the normally steady rapid beat slowing and beating irregularly. Having the advantage, the blonde circled Reign and struck again, this time with a fist at the base of the spine, followed by another in the back of her neck, dropping the Worldkiller to her knees. Kara grabbed Reign's hair in her left hand and continued striking with all her strength into the back of her neck, the force of the blows shaking the rock structure around them.

Reign went limp and Kara let go of her hair, wrapping both arms around her neck and twisting.

She heard the neck snap.

Letting the body drop, Kara watched it closely, listening for any sounds of life.

The heart had stopped, there was no breath, no movement, other than a slight twitch of the monster's eyebrows.

The blonde stood over her fallen opponent and unleashed heat vision directly into her eyes, burning the orbs and forcing the beams into Reign's brain.

Seeing she had blasted the beams into the skull, Kara stopped, utterly exhausted. She had only once used this level of power against Doomsday but was never able to land any precise blows against the stronger creature. Kara had learned many moves against Dan Hawk before without her powers, learning to take down much stronger opponents by striking the weak points of the body.

Grabbing her enemy by the ankle, the exhausted Kryptonian began dragging Reign's body out the opening of the cave she had made days before.

She was a step away when she heard it.

A single breath.

Kara turned to find Reign's other foot striking her in the jaw, sending her tumbling out of the cave, unable to catch her bearings and hitting the ground below, causing a small crater from her free fall.

Supergirl got to her knees and used the back of her hand to wipe the blood pouring from her nose, then slowly stood on two shaky feet.

Reign landed close to her, an evil grin on her face.

"You thought you could kill me that easily?"

"I was hoping." Kara admitted. "No nervous system, a stopped heart, a sliced brain and here you are. You should have stayed dead, for both our sakes."

Reign struck Kara again, rising in the air and using her entire body to power her swing. Kara, still disoriented was unable to move away and hit the ground face first. She felt Reign strike the back of her neck, then stomp her back.

The Worldkiller pulled her up by the hair and turned the blonde towards her. Kara noted Reign's eyes were glowing. She used her own heat vision as a last defense and luckily the two surges meeting tossed Kara away from her enemy.

Supergirl stood up quickly to find another fist in her face, sending her to the cliff wall.

"No more tricks Kara Zor El. You cannot avoid me forever. You cannot kill me. I will rip you apart slowly, one limb at a time. Do you have any loved ones on this planet I can give the pieces of your body to, before I kill them as well?"

Kara nodded her head. "Oliver Queen. He is like a brother to me. You can find him in Star City. He is going to be the idiot fighting aliens with laser guns using a bow and arrow. Should be easy to find."

Reign struck her again, driving her head into the rock Kara was pinned against. The blonde slid to the ground but was lifted by her neck and tossed aside.

Lying flat on the ground, blood pouring from her mouth and nose, Kara decided to give her one more opportunity.

"He hasn't told you everything. Your King? He has lied to you. You cannot beat me. Tell me what you know about him, everything, and I will let you leave this planet with your life...maybe."

Kara's words stopped the approaching alien who was no doubt wondering where her bravado had come from. In Kara's mind, it was not bravado, it was resignation. She had foolishly hoped by using precision and discipline that she could beat this monster. For a moment, she thought she had done it, beaten Reign, burned her brain, snapped her neck.

But Reign was on par with Lobo in the regeneration department. Not even death could keep her down. There was only one way to deal with a creature like this. It was the same way she dealt with Doomsday. She had to burn it to nothing.

Burning them all was what Red Lanterns did.

Kara slowly regained her feet, watching Reign who was waiting for some other trick from her. Kara was all out of tricks.

"Is he the first Worldkiller? Was he Zor El's first creation?"

"He wants this planet dead and I want you dead. That is all I need to know."

Kara nodded her head, suspecting as much. Reign knew nothing the King didn't want her to know.

"Did he speak Kryptonese? He had to. You know no other languages. Does he have powers his subjects do not? Is he as strong as you? Can he fly? You have Zor El's intelligence in theory. You cannot have been so stupid as to have blindly followed him. You say you are a ruler. Why would you follow a king?"

Reign shook her head and clenched her fists. "I was promised you. I will deal with him soon enough."

"No. You won't." Kara lifted her right fist and from the expression on Reign's face, knew that she saw the ring glow red, energy bleeding from it, but could do nothing. Kara struck, the Worldkiller being blown back and through a boulder behind the monster.

Kara walked slowly towards her, the feeling of the energy radiating through her body, giving her the rush she had craved for so long. The blonde looked towards the sky where her Red Lanterns were fighting beside the Greens. She knew she had lost brothers and sisters. That happened in war. She also knew they were winning. Guy was leading them for now, but soon she would step up and take her place, burn them all.

To her annoyance, Reign was smarter than Doomsday. When Doomsday had seen Kara, dressed as she was now, black and red, wearing the symbol of the Red Lanterns on her chest, red energy wrapping around her, the monster had been too stupid to run. Reign was not stupid and flew straight up, trying to reach space perhaps. Kara didn't know and didn't care. She had work to do.

Giving chase, she caught up to Reign easily, grabbing her leg and sending her hurtling back to Earth. Reign was no longer faster, no longer stronger.

Kara knew nothing was as strong as her in this universe.

She had her mission. Kill Reign, lead her Reds in destroying this army and kill the King of Diaspora.

Once her enemies were dead, her family would be safe. She would find Alex and take her to the Fortress with the rest of her family, making sure they could not get out until Kara had made the rest of the universe safe for them. The Worldkillers, the Diasporans, the Guardians, Sinestro. She would burn the universe, cleanse it and she could be at peace, her family safe. First the fire, then rebuild from the ashes.

The blonde shook her head. She needed to focus. Her first objective was to kill the woman who had dared to challenge her.

She landed quickly, for the first time seeing absolute fear on Reign's face. Instead of lashing out in fury, Kara smiled and slowly walked towards her enemy.

"What are you?" Reign whispered.

Kara thought of what to say but no words seemed appropriate. What was she? She didn't know. Perhaps what she had told the Amazon was right. Perhaps she was the goddess of death, the destroyer of worlds. What she considered herself was of no importance. It was what she could do that mattered.

Despite her desire to join the Lanterns in space, she took her time, walking up to a shaking Reign.

"Kneel." Kara told her.

"What?"

"Kneel at my feet and beg for your life. I told you that you should have stayed dead. Kneel and beg me to let you live. Kneel before your new master."

"I...I am not meant to kneel." Reign told her.

"Perhaps, but I was never meant to rule, yet here I am. You either submit or die painfully. Decide now."

Reign made no move to kneel, not that Kara expected her to. Subservience was not programmed into her DNA. She was a member of the Houses of Zod and El, no matter how frightened she may have been.

Kara grabbed her by the throat and squeezed, enjoying the feeling of the Worldkiller's neck buckling under the pressure of her grip. The blonde swung, planting the fist that carried the ring, through Reign's chest and out her back, just missing her heart and spinal column. The creature tried to scream but could not get a breath to make a sound.

A flurry of blows continued, Kara snapping the woman's left arm off and watching it burn in her hand.

Reign dropped to the ground face first, bleeding, the heart still beating slowly and body constantly trying to regenerate but unable due to the massive injuries occurring so quickly. Kara dragged Reign to her knees.

"You should have knelt when I gave you the chance."

Kara opened her mouth, a stream of fire and molten lava erupting, incinerating Reign until there was nothing left but the ground she had been on, only sand that had turned to glass.

"Kelex?"

Nothing for a moment.

"Kelex?"

"Yes Kara?"

"Reign is dead."

"Yes, we are watching. I have sent probes all over the world and one is watching you."

"Where is Alex?"

Nothing for a moment.

"Kelex if I have to ask twice I am burning you. Where is Alex?!"

"She is at Patterson Air Force Base. Flower of Heaven is dead and she decided to stay and assist in the containment of the body."

Kara listened closely, wondering if Kelex had developed the ability to lie. It wasn't possible. No matter how much he grew, he was still bound by his parameters and he could not lie to her.

"The other Worldkillers?"

"J'onn, Diana and Curry have engaged Deimax and Barry is attempting to destroy Perrilus. Lobo is en route to assist. He will also weaponize the venom..."

"I don't need the venom. Not anymore. Tell them to only focus on killing Perrilus and Deimax. If they cannot do so, then protect the DEO and I will deal with those two when I get back. Have any ships landed?"

"Three have entered atmosphere and released soldiers and fighter craft, one over the Central US and the other two over Europe. Connolly and Wayne have successfully entered the Flagship, well behind the battle, protected by the moon."

Kara stood for a moment and thought of what her next move would be.

"How many of the Armada ships are left in space?"

"Three hundred and twenty-two are still engaging Lanterns."

It was time to take out the enemy combatants at the source.

"I am taking out the Armada and sending the Greens to handle the soldiers and air power on Earth. Tell Bruce to get off that ship and allow the King to come to Earth if he wishes. No matter where he runs, he cannot escape me."

Kara flew into space, breaking atmosphere in seconds, moving at unreal speeds.

Once she reached the area where the most intense fighting was taking place, all weapons ceased to fire.

The Greens and Reds were staring at her, the enemy ships turning their large cannons her way.

"Green Lanterns, go to Earth and destroy the Diasporans. Do as I say or burn now."

To Kara's pleasure even Jordan obeyed her without question, the Greens diving into the Earth's atmosphere.

Gardner floated near her. Kara looked at him sharply, wondering what would happen next.

"What's the plan, kid?'

Submissive. There would be no battle for supremacy, a relief to Kara who did not have time for that.

"We do what we do. Follow my lead and we will burn this race to nothing."

A canon blast aimed for Kara was deflected by her red shield, with no effort on her part. She grinned at the cruiser and used her ring, blowing a hole into the bridge sending it circling. Using her X ray vision, she found the engine room and did the same, leaving it adrift, spinning and defenseless.

"Burn it Lanterns. Burn them all. Leave them no escape. The flagship stays safe until my friends are off. Everyone understand?"

Everyone did, Kara knew. Now that she was in space they were bolstered by her power. Her rage inflamed theirs. Even Gardner, the most levelheaded was beginning to lose himself into a frenzy of anger and destruction.

She took off, not bothering to use her ring, simply flying through ships with her body as her only weapon, damaging them with hull breaches and smiling as her Lanterns burned the enemy from the inside.

 **Metropolis**

Barry was not feeling optimistic. Diana, J'onn and Curry were attempting to battle the monster Kara called Deimax. It was large, over seven feet tall and dark grey in color with a long snout and sharp tusks protruding from its mouth. The creature was incredibly fast and its long claws appeared to be able to cut through anything. Diana had slashed its hand off only for another one to grow back within seconds. Curry had stabbed it with a trident, but that weapon was plucked from its body and tossed away. J'onn was able to phase a hand in it but whatever organ he tried to grab would grow back instantly. All three of them had been hurt, Diana limping from a deep gash on her thigh, Curry's left arm most likely broken and J'onn constantly healing himself after attacking the creature in physical form.

Barry was unable to help them since he had been following Kara's instructions and dealing with the tall, green female with two tentacles instead of arms. The tentacles were barbed on the end and wet, the poisonous venom leaking out and dripping on the ground.

As Kara told him, this creature was fast, the strikes like whiplashes at superspeed. She was also strong, having taken his hardest punches from all directions with no effect. The man tried using his hand to saw her tentacles off. The first time he tried, the moment he reached physical form the venom began burning through the thread of his suit. Had it not been for his suit, he had no doubt he would have been poisoned and no good to anyone.

Barry stayed blurred, baiting the creature into attacking him. In his incorporeal form the barbs went through him, frustrating the venomous monster. She had stuck herself several times, but it had no effect.

Barry accelerated his speed, standing still, a trick he had recently learned. The entire world slowed down around him and he was able to take in the surrounding area as if it was motionless.

Diana was in the air, having been thrown by Deimax and J'onn was on his way to cushion the fall. J'onn had grown taller and wider, trying to match the creature in leverage but had been having no luck. Curry was being hit by the creature's other arm and in the process of crumpling to the ground.

Perrilus was trying to find him, her sight not able to keep up thankfully but he knew that would change.

This was not going to work. They could not beat the creatures like this. They could slow them down but eventually these two would get past them. All it would take was one lucky shot and Barry would be out of the game.

Think, think, think, Barry repeated to himself. What had Kara said? Steal her kinetic energy, take all their energy, and unleash it back onto Perrilus.

Slowing down and slowing the world to speed up, Barry did just that, reaching out with the Speedforce and drawing kinetic energy from as far as possible. Drawing it in and feeling more powerful than ever, the man unleashed a lightning bolt that would have split a large boulder in half straight into Perrilus's body.

The creature stumbled backward and fell, giving Barry hope.

A hope that was gone two seconds later when the Worldkiller stood back up.

A scream behind him.

J'onn was injured. All three of his teammates were down, Deimax standing over them, ready to bite.

Barry heard a noise from above and grinned, moving quickly to take Diana, J'onn and Curry two blocks away and into an alley.

He stepped back into the street in time to see Lobo's large ship crashing into the body of Deimax, an explosion ripping through Metropolis, shattering windows for miles away.

The Flash was pushed back by the blast but made a vortex, to keep his footing.

After the initial explosion, there was no noise on the street, only an eerie silence.

The groaning of metal caught Barry's attention. He saw Lobo climbing out the top of his ship, bending metal and not effected by the fires around him.

The Czarnian walked slowly up to Barry, as the three other members of the Justice League limped out of the alley.

"Why are these two still alive?" Lobo asked, jerking his thumb behind him.

"They are as tough as they look?" Barry guessed.

"Tough has nothing to do with it. Alex killed the glow bug and I took the thing's head. She didn't regenerate one so I guess we are good. Only two choices we got is disintegrate them or get their heads away from the bodies."

"Where is Alex?" Barry asked, not sure if he wanted the truth. He knew Kara's older sister wanted this venom in the event the King, whoever he was, came down. If she wasn't here, it couldn't be good.

"She got messed up good but she will make it. Kara don't need to know that. Speaking of, anybody heard from my girlfriend?"

"No." Diana answered. "We have been a little busy."

Deimax stood up from the wreckage and roared, Perrilus walking behind him.

"Fine. We need to kill these bastards. Kelex told me we don't need the venom anymore according to Kara..."

"Kara is okay?" Barry asked, hoping she was and also that she was out of the loop. If she found out that Alex was injured, she would go insane. He had to get to her first. He and J'onn were the only ones who had a chance of keeping her calm in his mind.

Lobo looked sharply at the Flash for interrupting him.

"Of course she is okay. She will do whatever it takes to win. If she doesn't need the venom, I guess that means she isn't worried about how to kill King WK Uno. We all know what that means."

No one said anything. No one had to. It was obvious to Barry. Kara didn't need weaponized venom because she was using a stronger weapon.

Barry supposed Lobo sensed his indecision about what to do next.

"We need to kill these bastards. Barry, go stand in front of the green lady and do that little thing where things can go through you, you know that thing, the speed and you kind of blur..."

"Yeah, I got it Lobo. Why?" Barry wondered, not knowing what good it would do.

"Just do it. Get her to try and stick you one more time. Diana, get ready to cut Deimax's head off."

Barry moved around an enraged Deimax with ease. Perrilus was closing in, nearly running to stand beside her brother until she stopped in front of Barry's image.

Barry turned his back to her, watching Deimax, staying phased.

Lobo attacked Deimax. Barry was not prepared for what happened next. Lobo wrapped his arms around Deimax's waist and lifted him off the ground. Deimax bit Lobo's shoulder but the Czarnian didn't seem to care. He caught Barry's eye and winked.

Barry turned back to Perrilus and solidified. The green Wordkiller noticed and struck, both tentacles nearly reaching Barry's chest. The Flash moved out of the way, going low under them and avoiding Deimax who had just been tossed by Lobo towards Barry.

Perrilus's barbs went through her brother, injecting him with venom throughout his body. The grey monster roared and ran back from her, the barbs leaving its body but the damage done. Deimax fell to his knees and Diana moved in, chopping its head off. The Worldkiller dropped to the ground head to one side, body to the other.

Barry stood by his teammates, watching the twitching body of Deimax, losing what blood it had remaining and the venom burning his tissues.

Perrilus remained where she had just stabbed her brother.

The Flash checked Lobo who was missing a hunk of his shoulder still in Deimax's mouth. He wasn't surprised it was already healing.

"Barry, wrap her up. Vibrate her and blast her molecules apart." Lobo told him. "Kill her Barry. Turn her into nothing."

What Barry heard in Lobo's words were not to let Kara down. He had thought it would be easy to cut the tentacles off but when that proved not to be true, he was out of ideas.

He had phased animate objects before into the ground and through walls. The idea of dispersing their excited molecules apart had never occurred to him. He wasn't sure how to do it.

Not needing the venom any longer, it made sense. The longer this thing existed, the longer Kara was without their help. She could need them if the King really was as powerful as she suspected, Red ring or not.

The Flash touched Perrilus from behind, placing his hands on her back. She tried to bring her tentacles back to lash at the man, but she was too slow. Barry vibrated both of them, the movement of their molecules reaching a state of excitement to blur them both nearly out of sight.

Once Perrilus was frozen, completely under his control, Barry sent out a burst of kinetic energy into the monster, electricity flowing through her and breaking her apart.

The Worldkiller blurred completely out of sight and then with a flash of light, was blown to nothing.

Barry slowed his movement until he was seen once more by those on the street. The more solid he became, the stronger he felt. For the first time since the battle began, he stood still, catching his breath and reorienting himself to the physical world.

Lobo clapped him in the shoulder.

"I lost twenty bucks to Alex, Flash. I didn't think you could do that without blowing yourself up at the same time. Nice job."

"Where is Kara?" Barry asked.

Lobo looked up in the sky, lit now by sunlight but he could make out the ships in space still.

He saw flashes of red, fires and more flashes of red.

"Taking out the Diasporan Fleet with her army and having the time of her life would be my guess. Until that King is dealt with either in space or here, all we can do is wait."

 **The Fortress of Solitude**

Jeremiah Danvers watched all the screens closely, those monitoring the battles in space, the battle in downtown Metropolis and the fights his daughters had been involved in.

The man was petrified. Alex was having surgery, one he was watching on a screen from a security feed inside the surgical suite. She had internal bleeding in her stomach, a pneumothorax and one broken rib had nearly pierced her heart on impact with that thing.

Kara had not been able to beat Reign on her own. She gave herself over to the power of the ring again. Any doubts about whether she would let it influence her were gone when she played with Reign instead of ending her quickly. Now his youngest daughter was in space, leading an army of warriors who were now her worshippers, through an Armada, breaking ships apart with ease.

"Is Kara going to come back Dad? Is Alex going to be okay?" Clark has asked him a minute ago. Eliza pulled the boy away and he was grateful he didn't have to answer. Jeremiah had no idea if she would be back and could only hope Alex would be okay.

Alfred was listening in on Connolly's team feed with Winn at the DEO. Cisco Ramon had gotten them successfully inside. Batman had used his sonar to find what he believed had been a server room. After a brutal fight in the hallways, led by Caitlin Snow who killed a dozen or so Diasporans, the crew had made it inside. Ramon had established communication with Winn Schott and was feeding every bit of information on the ship into the DEO servers.

Alex's vitals were holding steady. Her upper body was a wreck, but she could recover. It appeared the surgeons were good. It shouldn't have come to this. He never should have allowed Alex to talk him into this plan. She promised she could control her speed, that the suit would hold up, that she would come back. If not for Lobo she would have fallen to her death.

Now he was here, stuck in Antarctica, while his world was falling apart.

"Jeremiah, we need to do something." Eliza told him, knowing as well as he did there was nothing that could be done. He didn't bother to say anything but did take her hand and squeezed.

"Kelex, where is Kara?" he asked.

Kelex walked away from Alfred and joined him. "She is still in space. The Green Lanterns and the militaries have taken down all fighters in the atmosphere and soldiers on the ground. Deimax and Perrilus are dead. Kara is leading the Red Lanterns in the battle with the Armada. They have all been wiped out except for one. It appears the Diasporan King has launched an escape pod toward Earth. Judging from the feed of the nearest drone, Kara must have ordered her Red Lanterns to stand down and is escorting the King to the planet herself. I suspect when he arrives she will kill him."

"I need to talk to her." Eliza told Kelex. "She needs to wait for help, for some kind of backup. Even the Greens, she should have her...her Reds with her. Open her com. She will listen to me."

"I cannot do so, Eliza."

"She turned off her com, didn't she?" Jeremiah guessed, not surprised.

"No, I suspect the power she was unleashing in space has destroyed any technology near her. Her suit has been transformed by the ring and I have no way of monitoring her physically or communicating with her."

The man held back a growl. Kara was on her own, Alex had her life in the hands of military surgeons and the rest of them were stuck in the Fortress.

"Kelex, track the King's ship and prepare the cannon closest to his location in the event Kara needs a distraction." he ordered, knowing it would be useless. If Kara didn't want her Red Lanterns with her, it meant she wanted to play with the King before she killed him. She didn't need help fighting.

She needed someone to stop her from losing herself and the only people that could do that were in this room.

"Jeremiah?" Alfred called.

Jeremiah looked towards the man and noticed he had gone pale. But Kelex was watching Kara, the Worldkillers were dead, Alex was holding steady...

"What's wrong?"

"Bruce needs to speak to you urgently."

Jeremiah, Eliza and Clark heard Bruce Wayne's voice in the room.

"Jeremiah, I need to talk to Kara and I can't get a connection. Are you in contact?"

Bruce Wayne sounded...panicked?

"Her com has busted, Bruce. She...she had to use the ring. She is following the King to the surface. I just hope when she is done with him she stays on the planet. It looks like he is going to land in Brazil. If you have a way of getting to her, try and talk her into staying on the planet Bruce."

"We have no way to her. Ramon took a hit to the head on the way in. He won't be ready to send us anywhere for a while. You have to get a message to her somehow. She was right, the King is Worldkiller 1. No matter what Jeremiah, tell her she cannot kill him."

"Bruce did you say she should not kill him?

"I said she must not kill him. If she kills him its over Jeremiah. Kara will be gone for good and they will have won this war."


	48. Chapter 48

Do not own DC or CW characters- Thank you as always to Asgardianblades for beta'ing this story and making it readable for you all and thank you all for the reviews and comments that have kept this process so fun for me. After this chapter there will be one more to the story then I will be taking a few weeks off to recharge the batteries before I begin posting the next installment.

 **Chapter 48 -Endings**

They had emerged from the breach into a busy corridor, surrounded on both sides by armed Diasporans. Jason Connolly's team, Batman, Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow had immediately become involved in a firefight against enemy combatants on their home turf.

Of course, all things considered, this could have been a much worse situation. Cisco Ramon did manage to get them onto the ship and not land them in open space. They were able to fight their way to the room his group currently occupied with no friendly casualties, other than Ramon falling after using one of his little hand blasts and cracking his skull against a wall.

The room his team finally confiscated was defensible, did have some sort of alien computers that Ramon was alert enough to figure out how to give Winn access, so he felt good about that. Winn was a guy Connolly had always liked. Shitty childhood, Dad an imprisoned psycho, Mom abandoning him, the man felt despite their vastly different talents, he and Winn shared a connection.

That and the kid was a freaking genius when it came to anything alien computer related or languages for that matter. Connolly had watched this kid pull off magic on a keyboard, stuff not even Vivian had been able to do. Having Winn in contact made him feel more secure.

Snow, or Killer Frost, had done well. She finally earned the name Killer, sending large icicles into many of the enemies they faced on their path to this room. Now she was reinforcing the door keeping the soldiers away from them with a wall of ice.

Connolly still couldn't stand her.

Hawk and Ty were scanning through the walls with infrared. It didn't work very well because of the reptilian nature of the enemy but they were preparing to fire should the wall of ice be breached by an explosion.

"They are retreating." Ty told him. The team lowered their guns and Snow seemed to relax.

Connolly wasn't surprised. Though sound did not travel in space, he instinctively knew that the Reds and Greens had found an edge and were winning against the Armada.

He wondered if the edge they got was a red and black clad young woman leading them with the power of hell on her side.

Now the soldiers on this the Flagship were abandoning their posts, probably for escape pods, hightailing it back to the snake planet they came from.

"Winn talk to me." Connolly ordered.

Winn answered immediately of course. He may have been a goofball around the headquarters but when it was showtime the kid always delivered.

"Yes sir, looks like a shuttle has launched from the Flagship towards Earth. Only one lifeform I can pick up inside, must be the snake king. Probes from the Fortress are showing...Supergirl following it down...has she gone goth?"

"Focus Winn." Connolly ordered, his fears confirmed. A quick glance at Wayne told him the Batman knew as well. Kara had used the ring. She most likely destroyed the entire fleet and only the remnants were now trying to escape because her attention was diverted.

"Okay, I have the files translated and video is coming your way. Nothing unusual, typical actions of a warring species, monarchy, sacred mission, betterment of the universe, that sort of thing. The videos are of the past ten years since the King started acting like a royal asshole. Only video we got are from speeches he gave out to the masses. Guy needs to pick another suit already. Not much of a diverse wardrobe." Winn told the group.

"What do you mean by that?" Bruce asked quickly. Connolly caught an edge in his voice. Wayne suspected something.

He moved closer to the caped man, watching the monitors. Winn was sending videos of the speeches, the addresses to some large crowds at a Diasporan city. Wayne was speeding through them, not listening to the speeches at all, or reading the translated notes.

Winn was right, Connolly realized. This guy never changed his clothes. Always the same armor, despite this supposedly being the first war he had led himself. Why wear armor when addressing a crowd of your own people.

"Winn show me a video of the last speech he made before he decided to turn his planet's military from a defensive force to a conquering force." Wayne ordered.

After a few seconds, the video feed was up showing a robed King, no armor, a calm voice, even a smile.

"The armor did something to him?" Connolly asked, wondering how that was possible. He had seen a lot of weird things but never seen a suit of armor turn someone from a good person into...of course a ring turned Kara into a monster after she killed Doomsday.

But she had still been Kara, she still protected Alex, she waited for threats to attack instead of rampaging and destroying Metropolis.

"Symbiont." Wayne whispered. "The King wasn't replaced by a World killing shape shifter, he was possessed, taken over. WorldKiller 1 or whatever that is, it is a symbiont."

Everything clicked for Connolly. There were so many questions he had that were never answered about this invasion. Why Earth, why now, why was the King himself coming, having to know that Kara was unstoppable?

"It came for her." The man whispered, catching Bruce's attention. "It waited until Kara was powerful under any sun and came for her. It is meeting her alone, giving her what she wants."

"And it will attack her. It must believe it can take over her body and mind" Bruce finished. Connolly watched as Wayne ordered Winn to open a communication line with Alfred in the Fortress.

His team was watching him, Ramon watching him, even Snow had stopped glaring at his men and looked at him.

They had been played...again. Just as Atrocitus played them to get that damn ring on Kara's finger, this thing was playing them to get her under its control, to in essence, kill her in a way no other could.

Connolly listened to Wayne talk to Jeremiah, to Kelex, all saying the same thing. They could not get in contact with Kara. Once more the girl had placed herself on an island with no one around. He wanted to know about the war on the surface, he wanted to know if Alex succeeded with a plan so crazy she wouldn't tell him all the details. He wanted to know if she was alive.

Pushing Wayne aside he asked Jeremiah for an update on Alex.

He probably should have waited till the battle was over because his fury was building. Alex succeeded at great harm to herself and was in surgery. The idea was reckless, irresponsible and had a high likelihood of failing. Those were the missions he loved to pull off and his love had been passed to his protégée. Connolly should have talked her out of it but instead had encouraged her.

"Winn, where is the ship landing?"

"It landed five minutes ago. It's in the Amazon Rainforest. No one is around for over a hundred miles in all directions." Winn told them.

Connolly looked hard at Ramon who was still sitting at the console, rubbing the back of his head.

"You ready? Can you get us there?" he asked.

Before Ramon could answer, a small red circle of light appeared in the center of the room, growing quickly, causing the team to scramble away from it.

Gardner stepped out of the portal.

"How much longer? Kara said we can't blow this ship until you are all off." he told them.

Though Connolly had only met him face to face once in the weeks up to this invasion, Gardner was different now. His eyes were red, both pupils and irises. His ring was shining so intensely with raw power the temperature in the room raised noticeably, even farther away from him judging by the sweat forming on Ty's brow across the room.

Connolly also sensed the man was looking for a fight and it didn't matter where he got it from. He had seen that same look on Kara's face for several years.

"Is it over?" Connolly asked, though he wasn't sure exactly what "it" was. Was it the war being over, the invading enemies and ships dead or destroyed? Was it the Worldkillers were all dead. Was he asking if Kara Danvers was over and all that was left was the part that made her a vicious killer.

Gardner must have sensed his anxieties in that question.

"The Worldkillers are dead, the Lanterns and the military took out any enemy who landed along with fighters in the sky, Kara just destroyed the whole fleet in less time than it takes me to fix a sandwich and the only survivors are in tiny short range escape pods that have no chance of making it back to Diaspora. That sound like its over?"

"No," Wayne told him, before Connolly could. "This is far from over. That king is on our planet, with Kara. He is Wordkiller 1, a symbiont. Open up a portal to get us there, now. If she kills that thing it will take over her body. I'm contacting Diana."

"She is in Metropolis." Connolly reminded him.

"Yes but she can get Stewart or Jordan to transport the League there. If we go with Gardner we should all reach her in minutes instead of hours we don't have."

Connolly listened to Wayne talk to Alfred then speak to Diana and explain the situation. Kara was already on the ground with the thing no doubt. If it attacked her they couldn't do anything. Only Kara would be able to fight it, force it away from her body.

But if the Green Lanterns showed up...

"Stop! Call Diana back. If the Greens are there you know what will happen." Connolly told Batman.

"I would rather Kara attack the Greens than attack the Worldkiller." Bruce calmly pointed out.

"Yeah, but there are probably just under a thousand Green Lanterns left. If that thing takes her over, they won't give her time to fight it off. They will try to kill her. If the Amazon thinks there is no other way... We need to get there now. Call off your Amazon, Wayne."

Bruce shook his head. "Diana wouldn't do that. J'onn, Barry, Lobo, they wouldn't let her do that."

"Are you willing to risk Kara's life on it?" he asked pointedly.

The silence from Bruce was all he needed. "Gardner, if the Greens attack her, no matter her state, what will the Reds do?" Connolly asked.

"Attack them. We will handle Kara, help her get it out of her system. She belongs with us." Gardner said without doubt. The battle had apparently brought out his blood lust as well. Connolly wondered if this was a good idea but if he wanted to keep Kara safe from the others while she fought the Wordkiller he had no choice.

"Take us to the surface, and have your Reds meet us there. If anyone tries to hurt Kara, no matter what, we take them down." Connolly ordered.

Snow walked towards him, still in her evil Elsa get up as Ty liked to call it.

"If she is taken over by a Symbiont, Kara will need to be taken down. Once it is in her, she is done."

Connolly looked hard at Dante, the meaning in his look clear. He wanted to know whose side Dante was on. If Connolly even suspected Dante would turn on Kara the man would die here with his frozen meta.

"Dante trained Kara. He knows she is mentally strong enough to take control of her body. He trained you and I hear you aren't a cold blooded wannabe killer anymore. Should we ask him? We don't have time for this. Kara will win and anyone who attacks her dies" Connolly told her then looked towards Dante. Should this turn into a battle, Connolly would find out Dante's loyalties for good." Gardner?"

Gardner nodded his head and a red circle opened up, the occupants of the room hurrying inside.

Connolly had never traveled in a Lantern's portal but it did not appear to be much different than Ramon's breach. A bright red light and they were on Earth.

Just in time for a green portal to open up next to them.

A look at the Justice League and Lobo told him all he needed to know. Diana and Curry were nervous, weapons in hand. They would try to take her out. Lobo had a huge rifle in one hand and a chain with a blade in the other but his eyes were on Diana and Curry. J'onn nodded to Connolly, glancing at Diana. J'onn would never turn against Kara nor would Lobo. He didn't need to look at Flash to know Barry would never turn on Kara. He would give her the chance to win this herself.

A Kryptonian drone flew towards the clearing, followed by hundreds of Green Lanterns. Across from them we over two hundred Red Lanterns.

In the middle of all this, Kara was in a standoff with the King of the Diasporans, Worldkiller 1.

 **The Landing Site**

Kara stood on the ground impatiently, waiting for the King and Worldkiller who started this to walk out of his small landing vessel. She had escorted the ship to Earth, to this remote part of the world and forbidden her Red Lanterns from following but doubted Guy would listen. It didn't matter so long as they did not interfere. This snake belonged to her alone.

The blonde was not sure if it was fear that made the King hesitate to come out or if he had a plan that needed more time to enact. She was pleased to see the ship had no lead shielding and X Ray vision showed the man to be standing in one place, seemingly waiting on her.

Not crazy about walking into a trap, Kara used her heat vision, carving out a door in the craft where the King stood and laid eyes on him for the first time.

"Please step out of the car and place your hands on your head." she told him.

The sight of him put Kara on edge. He was no different than the ordinary Diasporans she had spied as she was ripping through their ships. They were similar in height and weight to large humans, had scaly skin resembling a snake and shared other characteristics with serpents, including the temperature of their blood.

The only difference Kara could tell between the soldiers and their King was the black, shining armor this man wore, armor that covered the top of his skull, protected his neck, shoulders and arms. His large cloak covered his shoulders and back but the armor was no doubt all over him.

She looked closely at the man's body, not only using X Ray visions but microscopic as well, focusing on the cells of the Diasporan.

"Have you seen everything, all my secrets?" the creature asked in Kryptonese.

"You are no shapeshifter. Shapeshifter's cells are in a constant state of excitement even when at rest. Your armor is attached to your central nervous system through multiple points, all leading to the brain. You are a symbiont." Kara told him. "I would guess Zor El made you into some sort of intelligent battle suit for Zod but screwed up. You were too smart for any one Kryptonian to handle so he sent you away."

"Zor El would be proud of you, young Kara." the Worldkiller told her. "I was the first living weapon your father created and attempted to control. Your father launched me into space where I floated for years, alone, no host, no sound or sight, just emptiness. Then I was discovered by a Diasporan scout ship and entered the King when he inspected my tomb. The rest, as is often said, is history."

Kara shook her head, not believing this. It was supposed to be simple. She had destroyed Reign, destroyed the Diasporan Fleet with ease and the King had been polite enough to bring himself to Earth for his last stand. She would kill him and find Alex, make sure she was okay, then regroup with her Reds.

Instead she was dealing with a creature she had never encountered before, one who was obviously more intelligent than she had given credit for. But why here? Why come now?

"You took over a kingdom just to destroy planets you had no intention of inhabiting? Why?"

The Worldkiller laughed, a low, hissing sound but what she supposed countered for a laugh where he came from.

"I turned the Diasporans into a conquering force to improve the Universe. To better life for all species. There are too many weak planets in the known Universe. Too many fighting amongst themselves, leaving their homes unprotected from real threats. When my army attacks that world is forced to come together, to work as one to survive or perish. If they survive, the planet is stronger for it. If they die, the Universe is stronger for having culled the weak." The Symbiont explained. "Do not mistake me for a killing machine like Reign. Your father did not recreate the mistake of having his creations as intelligent as I am."

Kara watched and listened closely, coming to the conclusion he truly believes what he was saying.. "What makes you think you have the right to decide what planets are strong enough for the Universe?"

"What gives you the right? Your grudge against the White Martians was legendary before you became a Red Lantern. Is that not what Red Lanterns do? Burn the scum of the Universe? Is your mission and mine that different?"

Kara did not answer. She wanted to understand her enemy, not have a philosophical discussion.

"Why this planet? Why now?"

"You led the people of this Earth. You showed them what a hero truly was. I watched to decide if they would follow you. They did not. Even now they do not follow you. You have taken control of the nuclear weapons capability of the nations. Had you not, they would have struck each other. You know they would, that is why you hijacked their offensive capabilities. Even while fighting a war you are having to protect them from themselves. You forced the Green Lanterns hands into fighting rather than have this planet's airpower match mine, this planet's soldiers match mine. You have no faith in the humans."

Kara did not argue this point. She had faith in many humans but no faith for mankind as a whole.

"You came yourself. You knew I wouldn't stay out of it. You knew I was a Red Lantern. You brought your army to certain death, along with the imprisoned Worldkillers. You knew you would lose and I would have you here. Why?"

"Why do you think? Have I given you too much credit for your intelligence? You know what I am. You must know what I want."

"Me." Kara realized, and looked more closely at the Worldkiller's body.

The King's silence told her she was correct. She wouldn't have what she wanted today, she wouldn't have this man's blood but she had won the war.

"I'm not killing you. I will place you in the tomb that held Doomsday and send you to the Phantom Zone or let you drift endlessly in the unexplored areas of the Universe but I won't kill you. You will not have me."

The Worldkiller nodded his head. "I did hope in your great anger you would strike me down without thought. It appears your curious nature, your desperate need for answers will be my downfall. You have left me with no choice I suppose. In your detailed survey of my body, you missed the small bomb attached to my lower spine. I don't need you to kill me to be free."

"You won't kill yourself." Kara told him, trying to sound confident but the tone of his voice told her he was very serious.

Kara checked his body carefully, a chill overtaking her, though that should have been physically impossible. Her blood was pure burning rage, her entire body a weapon, but this small bomb embedded on the King's spine just under his black tendril told her he was not bluffing.

"You are bluffing." the blonde tried. "You have no way to know for sure if you can take me. My body isn't human or Kryptonian. My blood can burn you to nothing."

But what would he do if he took over her body? Could she fight him off, keep control? Would the ring allow him to take her over? Could his form stand up to her power without disintegrating?

She felt a portal open up behind her. Guy's portal, though she specifically told the Reds to stay away. Bruce had a way of getting people to do as he wanted and she suspected Guy was no different. She recognized the heartbeats of her friends, Connolly and Dante, Ty, and Dan, as well as Bruce. Ramon and Snow were also likely present but Kara did not bother to look. Another portal opened up, this one made of Green energy Kara assumed must have been John Stewart along with Barry, Curry, Lobo, J'onn and Diana.

The sky around them became filled with Red and Green Lanterns watching from above. Kara's showdown with the Worldkiller had drawn quite an audience and a part of her wondered who was there to kill her if things went badly. So long as they stayed out of her way until this fight was done, she could handle the rest afterward.

"Kara, you can't kill him. He is a..." Bruce started to warn her.

"I know what he is, Bruce." the blonde calmly told him, feeling anything but. Her hand was being forced, she was on the defensive and a blow hadn't even been thrown. This had been a mental challenge since they both landed. A standoff between a man having confidence in his own powers on one side and a blonde girl who was trying to feign confidence, fool him into thinking she could stop him if he tried to take over her mind and body.

The two continued to stare at each other as if they were old west gunfighters. After a few long moments the snake king finally spoke.

"I have no idea if I can survive your attack. You may kill me as well, the same manner I am sure you killed Reign. In the end, you have no choice but to try and stop me. Ten seconds and the bomb detonates. All it takes is one touch of my tendrils attached to this spine. After that, it's you or I in battle. Prepare yourself Kara. I would recommend your friends go away. The blast is going to be quite large."

Ten seconds seemed to last forever in Kara's mind.

"Guy, protect them from the blast. You are going to need all of them if this thing beats me."

Kara unleashed her breath on the creature, fire as hot as the molten core of a planet burning the body and detonating the bomb inside him with two seconds remaining. She hoped by taking the offensive in his death, setting off the bomb herself and perhaps weakening the symbiont if it was not prepared.

The symbiont attacked her, covering her entire body in a black liquid. Kara felt cold, so cold it burned. She could feel the symbiont trying to force its way into her mouth, forcing itself into her ears, trying to pry her eyelids open.

Kara screamed from the pain.

Another voice, his, spoke in her head in Kryptonese.

"It is over. Take the rest you have searched for so long. You have reached the end. It is my time now."

"No!" Kara shouted. "This is my body, my mind. You won't take it!"

"I already have."

Kara opened her eyes and found she was in a familiar place. She had retreated into herself, just as she had when the Ring attached to her. This time was different. She did not have Diana with her and she was not fighting herself.

She was surrounded by the four remaining Inversions and Zor El.

"Interesting choice." the Worldkiller told her. "You could have manifested me as one of your greatest enemies, Non, Astra, Zod, Brainiac, but instead you chose your father. I have to say your mind is a fascinating place. Don't worry about the dark. Soon you will go away, find the peace you have sought for so long. You will forget you exist."

"I won't let you stay in my head." Kara told him, not sounding confident. The Inversions, the demons she had banished were free again. She had let them out of the box to defeat Reign and they had no intention of going back.

"If you are wondering your friends see you, surrounded by my armor, unable to move, not knowing if they should touch you or not, not knowing if they should try to kill you. The Amazon and the Green Lantern are considering it and the Batman and the Flash are preparing to fight to keep us alive. Your military friends have circled Diana and the Lantern Stewart. Guy Gardner is calling the Reds to protect you. J'onn, the Martian is trying desperately to break into your mind. He will also fight the Amazon. You have quite the circle of loyal friends, Kara."

Kara shook her head and moved towards the monster. Before she could take a step, two of the Inversions had her by the arms, pinning her against a dark wall. She could feel a substance wrapping around her waist and thighs, preventing her from moving.

"I would not count on your ring to save you. Your friends are quite upset you locked them in a box. They are more amendable to my way of thinking. You were nearly the perfect Red Lantern but that nagging bit of morality stayed with you. Your humans made you weak." he told her. The Worldkiller reached out and caressed her cheek. His touch was so cold Kara tried to jerk back but was unable to move away.

A hand was placed on her forehead and the Worldkiller was gone, along with the Inversions. There was nothing, no sight, no sound, no floor beneath her feet, no wall holding her.

She was completely alone.

"Not like this." Kara whispered, relieved she could hear her own voice. "Not like this. I don't want to just disappear."

Kara frantically looked all around. She knew her eyes were open, or at least thought they might be. The longer she stayed the less real she felt. She was going away, merging in the darkness.

"Kara?"

A voice, a voice she knew as well as her own.

Jeremiah was there. She couldn't see his face but she heard him, smelt him, knew his heartbeat.

"Hey there. It's kind of dark in here. I hope you aren't thinking of moving back in. I don't think we can get a satellite signal in here or an outlet for a TV. How are we going to watch all those romance and action movies?"

She could feel him moving closer to her. The closer he got, the more real she felt.

"This is what space is like, only without the sound. If you sit long enough, you can forget you exist." the blonde found herself saying, remembering this conversation. She had retreated to her cave because Alex was mad after finding out Kara had been breaking her own fingers. Jeremiah had followed her.

"Do you want to forget you exist?"

Kara shook her head. "No."

"That's good. I know there are four people in our family who will never forget you exist."

"I'm scared." Kara told him in a small voice.

She felt his hand take hers and reveled in the warmth.

"I know, but you are not alone. You will never be alone. It's the only choice you don't get to make. I will always be here with you."

"I feel like I am slipping away."

Jeremiah squeezed her hand. "So stop. Don't let him win. This is your body and those demons on your finger serve you, not him. You are stronger than they are."

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "I can't fight them all forever. I can't fight the ring, I can't fight him."

She could feel the air move as Jeremiah stood up. She missed the warmth of his hand immediately and fought to reach for it again.

"You don't have to fight them forever. You just have to fight them right now." he told her.

Jeremiah was gone, along with the feeling of Kara's hand. She felt herself slipping into nothing again. Once she had read a comic book about a girl who could walk through walls. The girl thought it made her special until she couldn't become solid again. Then she began dissipating, becoming more and more of a ghost until there was nothing left of her.

A small light. Kara could see a light. It wasn't much of one but was growing.

"Hey." Alex greeted her, fourteen and innocent, not knowing the dangers that would come. The light was growing and Kara held onto the vision. She wanted Alex to stay but knew what she had to do, what the right thing to do was.

"Please go away. I will ruin your life." Kara told her.

"You aren't ruining anything. Me and you kid, against the world. Nobody beats us." Alex told her and ran her hand through Kara's hair. The blonde's vision changed and she was on her back. Her body was solid and in great pain. She was sweating, cramping and shaking. Her muscles were screaming.

She felt Alex behind her, arms wrapped around Kara's chest.

"I swear if you ever take another drink after this I am going to beat the hell out of you." she heard an exhausted Alex mumble, more to herself than Kara.

"Let me go." Kara whispered.

"It's either me or hospital straps. Take your pick, sweetie."

"Let me go!" Kara screamed. "You can't do this! You can't! Let go of me!"

"No." Alex's resigned and very tired voice told her.

"I will hate you forever." Kara told her, ready to say anything if Alex would let her out of this prison.

"No you won't."

"I will."

"Sure you will. You've said it eight times in the past hour. Keep telling yourself that. You are stuck with me."

Kara did not remember this, but it was not surprising. She didn't remember a lot about the time she spent detoxing. The blonde knew she said horrible things, and she also knew Alex held her for days, never left her side.

"Why? Why do you do this to yourself?" Kara asked her.

She felt Alex shrug her shoulders. "Because I love you, whether you like it or not."

"I'm slipping. I don't know how much longer I can hold on before I am gone." Kara admitted. She felt Alex's face press against the back of her hair, a whisper in her ear.

"Why do you think that? You are stronger than he is. You have known love, hate, pain and suffering. You have known sacrifice, heartache and strength he doesn't have. He can never make you go away, any more than those red demons can. Everything you have done, good and bad, has made you who you are today. He is nothing compared to you. Nothing compared to us. How can you not exist? It's impossible. That would mean I don't exist and I do."

Kara found herself back in the cave, a fourteen year old Alex in front of her. "You will be mad." she told her big sister.

"That's usually what you say when you are about to tell me something stupid you have done." the girl told her with a wicked grin Kara missed so much. She hadn't seen that grin on Alex's face in years.

"You know I can't beat him forever. He is too strong. He is in my mind, searching through everything. He will know about Clark, know about all of you. He won't stop until you are dead, until he has the Codex and Clark is dead."

"You will handle it. You always do. I will always believe in you." Alex told her, then was gone, back into the dark.

Kara felt tears in her eyes. She was grateful for that because it reminded her this was real. She was crying due to the pain. Alex was gone and she could feel the Worldkiller's fingers prying through her mind, invading her against her will. It made her feel helpless, victimized. Soon she would have no secrets, no protected place in her mind. Nowhere left to run to.

"Mommy? I'm scared." she admitted and felt herself walking through the complete darkness. She reached out and felt the bed. Pulling back the covers like usual, she slid in next to Eliza whose arms were open wide for her. Kara wasn't sure if the woman even woke or it was a natural reaction for her to hold Kara late at night. Those arms felt so good right now.

"I don't know what to do." she whispered. "Should I just go to sleep? I'm tired."

"Not yet, sweet girl." Eliza whispered in her ear. "Fight."

"You never wanted me to fight." Kara reminded her.

Eliza squeezed her tighter though it had no effect on Kara's hard body. "But you are a fighter. I love that about you. You and Alex, my daughters, protecting the world. You have always been a fighter Kara. Don't stop now."

A bright light lit up the place Kara existed in. Everything was bright, nearly hurting her eyes. Kara reached in front of her and brought her hands up. She was whole, complete. She even wore the most beautiful white dress. It was a dress her mother wore during her mating ceremony. Kara had seen holos of her mother and thought she was the most beautiful woman who ever existed.

"Kara?"

The blonde turned around and saw her.

"Mother?"

Like the others, Alura seemed so real, Kara could swear she was here. The girl reached out and Alura took her hand. The blonde was shocked at how that hand felt. The texture of her mother's skin, long forgotten came flooding back. She remembered details she had forgotten, a freckle under her right eye her mother had, the tiny sparkles of green in her blue eyes, the smell of her perfume.

"You are so beautiful." Alura whispered. "I have been with you every day. I am so sorry. This was never the life I wanted for you. Not this. You shouldn't have to correct your father's mistakes."

Kara shrugged her shoulders. It didn't matter now. It was over.

"Hug me?"

Alura wrapped her arms around the girl and brought her close. Even the smell and feel of her hair was so real.

"Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?" the mother asked.

"Dying? Did it hurt?"

Alura shook her head. "It was over quickly. All that hurt was watching you go away."

"Alex is going to be mad, isn't she? She won't understand. I don't have a choice. I can feel him, clawing through my mind, making me go away forever. Either way, I am lost. At least this way I can win. I can end the threat."

Alura nodded her head, her eyes filling with tears.

"The funny thing is, as many times in the past as I wished I was dead, now that I know what I have to do, I don't want to die." Kara told her.

Alura smiled at her. "That's good. It means your life was good. You have things to hold on to. That's what you have to remember. Protect those you cherish. You are not doing this for selfish reasons."

"I would have made a good teacher. I think I would have." Kara said but wasn't sure if it was true or just the thing she held on to, her hope for a normal life." Are you going to be there? When I die, will you be there, waiting for me?"

Alura nodded her head. "Always Kara."

"Will they forgive me? Will they understand I had no choice? Will Alex forgive me?"

"One day." the mother told her. "The two of you will be together again. Nobody is ever really gone."

"I might be. He wants to erase me, use my body to destroy everything."

Alura shook her head the smile gone, her face hardening.

"Then don't let him. We don't quit daughter. Eliza never quit, Jeremiah never quit, Alex never quit, they loved you through it all. You cannot quit either. That is not what we do. We fight. Now go Kara. You know what you have to do."

Kara did. She had to burn everything. It was the only way. The Red Ring, the Worldkiller, it all had to burn.

The blonde kissed her mother on the cheek and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she was once again in the dark room with the demonic figures of the inversions and Zor El.

"I thought you had gone away." The Worldkiller said, sounding slightly impressed.

Kara's eyes glowed and she pulled from the wall with all her strength. The black material wrapping around her began to give.

The four Inversions attacked, grabbing her as she broke free from the blackness of the Worldkiller. Two held her arms and two had hands around her throat. Kara twisted and threw them away, then kicked out at the monster in her father's form.

"Get out of my head." she told the Worldkiller, lifting him in the air by his throat. The surprise was evident on his face and Kara knew she had him for now. He had not expected her to resist. Tossing him away, Kara could feel the air on her face, make out the sounds around her. She felt the black goo wrapping her body, trying to enter her mouth. The girl strained, her red ring lighting up and burning the black Symbiont a bit, forcing its form to retreat from her mouth.

She looked at those surrounding her and met Bruce's eyes.

"Tell my family, Alex, tell them I love them. Tell them I didn't have a choice." she said with her last breath.

Kara's arm shot into the air with a scream and a red beam of light was emitted from her ring, forming a red portal. The girl wasted no time, flying into it. It closed behind her quickly.

Kara had what she wanted. She had regained control long enough to use her ring. She had fought the Inversions and the Worldkillers and had the satisfaction of hearing them scream when they realized her plan.

She had sent herself to the middle of the sun. With light filling her vision, she felt her body disintegrating, the ring exploding and the Wordlkiller dying.

With a final victory, Kara found the peace she had sought for so long.


	49. Chapter 49

Do not own CW or DC characters. Big thanks as always to Asgardianblades for editing this chapter and the last few. She will be with me in the third installment as well so I am looking forward to working with her more. She is awesome. Thank you for all the comments, reviews and favorites and follows for this story and Survivors. It isn't easy reading stories like this and I appreciate you all sticking with it and caring about these characters as much as I do.

 **Chapter 49- Epilogue**

Alex woke but did not open her eyes. She hurt everywhere, ached all over. The girl felt like she had been hit by a truck.

The memory of what she had done came back to her quickly. In a way she did hit a flying, glowing truck hard.

Alex remembered falling into Lobo's ship, talking to him a bit on the ground, making him promise to help...

Her eyes snapped open as memories flooded her. Kara. Kara was fighting Reign. he may have used her ring. The invasion, the Armada, the other Worldkillers, what had happened? Did they win? Did Flower stay dead? The brunette remembered holding the crystal to the Worldkiller's skull but she was supposed to go to Metropolis afterward. Kara needed the venom.

Alex tried to sit up, only to feel gentle hands on her shoulders, firmly yet gently preventing her from rising.

"Shh. Don't move, baby girl, you've had surgery." her mother whispered, running her hand gently across Alex's face. "You broke your collarbone, cracked your skull and your sternum had to be repaired. You need to remain as still as possible."

Hearing her mother's voice brought a level of clarity to Alex's mind. She took in the room, seeing her mother, father on either side of her and J'onn sitting in the corner.

Where was Kara?

"Where is Kara?" Alex asked her mother.

Hearing nothing, she really took the woman in, her red eyes, her exhausted face, the tears that were beginning to pool.

Alex looked quickly to her father when he took her hand.

He looked horrible, as if he hadn't slept in days. It was easy to see he had been crying as well.

"Dad?"

Silence. The man opened his mouth but no words came out.

Alex took a deep breath that hurt. Her chest and ribs felt like one throbbing pain that flared with each breath. What had happened? Where was Kara? How badly was she injured?

She looked over at J'onn but saw nothing besides his usual Martian frown.

Of course.

"Kara had to use the ring, right? Just tell me and I can fix this. She went after Oa? Did she go to Ysmault? She is on a rampage somewhere, right? Its fine. Lobo can take me to her and I will bring her back home. Do we have any idea where to start looking?"

Alex heard nothing except a sob from her mother. She couldn't look at the woman right now because the sound of her crying meant something that was impossible.

"Somebody answer me!" she yelled, instantly regretting it due to the pain.

"Alex," her father started, squeezing her hand, "we need to tell you what happened, and I will, but as hard as this is going to be to hear, you have to remain calm. You have a lot of injuries and you had surgery three days ago..."

"Three days?" Alex interrupted. Kara could have destroyed Oa and Mars by this point.

"Yes." her father confirmed. "You were placed in a medical coma so you wouldn't have to deal with the pain. We had you brought to the Block yesterday. You hit the Worldkiller at 42 miles an hour. You are lucky you survived."

Alex shook her head. That didn't matter. She survived. What she wanted to know was what happened when she was out.

"Tell me where Kara is."

Jeremiah took a deep breath and began.

Alex listened quietly, taking it all in, analyzing what had happened. Kara had to use the ring to kill Reign. She played with the Worldkiller a bit then destroyed the fleet nearly singlehandedly. Alex wasn't overly surprised. She had mentally prepared for Kara using the ring and going on what she referred to her in her head as a rage bender. It was fine. Alex could get her back.

Then Jeremiah told her about Worldkiller 1.

A symbiont.

Alex groaned, frustrated with herself. Of all the theories her and Kara had about the monster, being a symbiont was never one of them. Why didn't they think of that?

"How did she beat him?" Alex asked.

Silence filled the room. She stopped staring at the ceiling and looked at her father.

"Dad?"

The man was crying. This confused her. Maybe it was the meds she was sure she was on but he was acting like Kara lost. Kara didn't lose.

J'onn stood up.

Alex listened to him quietly, numbly, disbelieving, as if he were telling her a horror story that couldn't be real.

When he was finished, the room was silent.

"She said she loved us, apologized, and then disappeared into a portal? That means nothing. She could be anywhere. If she took control she is probably somewhere in the Universe, trying to get this thing out of her. She could be anywhere. Why in the hell would you think she flew into the sun? Because Gardner said so?"

J'onn nodded his head. "They felt it, Alex. All of them felt it."

"Bullshit! Gardner wants her! He lied so they could have her to themselves! How can you buy this J'onn!?"

"Because I felt them. I was in their heads, even Gardner's. I couldn't help Kara mentally combat the symbiont so I linked with the Red Lanterns, hoping to get through to her by entering their rings. I felt it, Alex. We all did. They all saw it. She fought for control long enough to take control of her body and flew... to the one place she knew would kill it. She didn't have a choice, Alex." the Martian told her, hoping the explosion he expected did not come to pass.

His hope was in vain. Alex sat up, grabbed a monitor next to her bed and threw it at the Martian, nearly striking her father. Lines were pulled out and leads came off her body as she tried to stand, but strong green hands pressed her back to the bed. In her desperate bid for freedom to get to her sister, Alex didn't see the nurse run inside and inject a sedative in her IV.

The girl did not know how long she had been out when she next woke. The lights were dim but she had spent enough time in the Block to know this was deceptive. She noted that she wasn't strapped down and her parents nor J'onn were in the room. Alex was not alone though.

Bruce and Alfred were sitting against the wall, side by side, watching her somberly.

"Alfred, would you wake Eliza and Jeremiah?" she heard Bruce ask. Alfred stood and walked out of the room while Bruce stood and walked to the side of her bed.

"Your parents wanted to be woken the moment you regained conscious. It was the only way we could talk them into a room with a bed."

Alex tried to talk but her mouth was extremely dry. She still hurt all over, that hadn't changed so perhaps her forced coma had not been as long this time.

Alex took a sip of water through the cup and straw Bruce offered her then cleared her throat.

"Was it you who drugged me? Are you making a habit of drugging Danvers sisters?"

Bruce shook his head. "We had a nurse on standby in case you reacted...like you did. You can't get out of bed, Alex. You would do more damage to your body. Your recovery is going to be..."

"Cut the crap, Bruce. I don't need medical advice from you. Why are you buying this?"

Wayne took a deep breath. "So you remember everything J'onn told you?"

Alex gave him a look he had come to recognize over the years as impatience.

"I am sorry I wasn't here when you woke. I was with Clark. He isn't...doing well."

Alex rolled her eyes, her heart aching at the thought of her little brother listening and believing this lie.

"She isn't dead. How are you of all people, taking this off Gardner's word? J'onn doesn't know what he felt in their heads. I would know if she were dead. I would feel it."

Bruce shook his head. "You are feeling pain right now, physically and emotionally. You should know I wouldn't take anyone's word on something like this. Alex, she fought that thing, she got back control and looked at me. She knew what she had to do and she didn't want to. Kara did it anyway. Her last words, her last thoughts were of you..."

"Shut up!" Alex screamed. She saw Bruce tense, so didn't try and sit up. The brunette was in no shape to fight him and there was no point in it. She had to get stronger if she wanted to go after Kara as soon as possible.

Eliza and Jeremiah walked into the room but Bruce held up a hand. They both looked at Alex and then stepped out, standing just outside the room.

"Kelex had a probe there. There were hundreds of Green and Red Lanterns there, J'onn, Barry. Lobo was there..."

Alex caught that immediately. "Where is Lobo?" Lobo would get her out of here as soon as she was ready and would search the Universe for Kara. He was probably looking for her now.

Bruce shrugged his shoulders and looked at the floor. "He told me he was borrowing a ship from a man who owed him and hunting down any Diasporans that escaped. I don't know other details, except that some of the Reds went with him. Alex, I knew this would be difficult for you to believe. When you are ready you can see the footage from the probe. It isn't...it isn't pleasant. I thought we had lost her to that monster forever but she fought. She fought so hard Alex. When she regained control...it was the thought of you, her parents, Clark, those were the thoughts that helped her win."

"She lost." Alex told him. He thought this was a win? Kara had flown into the sun? "But it doesn't matter Bruce because she is still alive. Get out. Come back when you are ready to get to work finding my sister instead of planning her funeral."

Alex saw Bruce considering continuing the conversation. He must have thought better of it, because he backed away and left the room. Her parents came in and each sat by her bed and took one of her hands but they did not speak of anything. Alex wasn't in the mood to speak. Despite the amount of sleep she recently had and the pain she was in, the brunette fell back asleep. The lights were on when she woke up. Clark was by her bed.

"Hey Squirt." Alex whispered and ran a hand through his shaggy hair.

"I saw the video Alex. When J'onn watched it with Mom and Dad they thought I was asleep but I wasn't. I saw what happened to her." the boy said, sounding on the verge of tears.

"She made a portal but..."

"I saw her face, Alex. There was this black stuff and it was trying to get in her mouth and eyes...it was wrapped around her, wouldn't let her move. Everybody just stood there, watching. Nobody did anything to help her. Then she looked...the probe was watching her and I could see when she came back. Her ring glowed and this stuff backed off a little but then she said she was...she said she was sorry and was gone. She killed herself Alex. She really killed herself. Why would she do that? Why didn't anybody help her?"

Alex placed her hand behind Clark's neck and pulled him to her pillow, kissing the top of his head. She didn't know why. The older sister was at a loss. Why didn't she let J'onn take Flower so she could have been with Kara? Why didn't Diana, or Guy, or J'onn or even Bruce jump in front of that thing before it could get to Kara? What was Barry doing while Kara fought for her mind and soul? Why did it always have to be her little sister who took the hit for everyone?

"She did it to save us. If that thing took her over it would know about you. Kara would never let it get its hands on you, especially using her body...I don't know Clark. I don't have any answers. I don't...I don't think she is gone. We can still find her if..."

"She is dead, Alex. I told you, I saw the video. Mom passed out, Dad was crying...she is dead." Clark looked up, eyes red, tears streaming down his face. "How much did it hurt her? When I would tell you she scared me when I was younger, how much did it hurt her? A lot, right? She thought I didn't love her, didn't she?"

"Hey, stop that." Alex told him, not sure if she meant the self-recriminations of a twelve year old or his insistence that Kara was dead. "Kara knew you loved her. Knowing you loved her got her through a lot of bad stuff. Even when you were scared of her...yes, it hurt her but she understood. She was scared of herself. You have always been the most important person in both our lives. Do not put any of this on yourself."

Clark sighed and pulled away from Alex, standing up, hunched over and looking defeated.

"I hate this planet." the boy whispered and walked out, the broken tone of his voice adding new pain to Alex.

For four days Alex did not speak with her parents about Kara's supposed death. She wouldn't let them bring it up in her presence. Clark watched television with her but he would not bring it up either.

On the fifth day she was able to get into a wheelchair and a nurse moved her into a room with solid walls and a projector. Despite her parents wishes, she insisted on seeing the video alone.

When she saw the look in Kara's eyes, heard her words, she understood. Kara had actually done it. She was backed into a corner by a predator that had outsmarted both of them and had to kill herself to win.

When the truth of what Kara had done hit her, she felt herself break. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew a nurse was injecting her with another sedative but paid no mind. The girl she had protected since they met, her sunny little sister, her dark, tortured little sister who had spent her adult life stained in blood was gone. She went to the one place she knew nothing could survive, not the Red Ring, not the Worldkiller and not herself.

Three weeks later Alex was released, deemed by a doctor she still hadn't learned the name of to be able to go home so long as she rested.

A week after that, Alex was up at 6 AM running. Her parents wanted to have a small private memorial for Kara but Alex refused. Clark went back to school, kept a red band on all the time, even sleeping with it on and continued to play sports but his heart, the excitement for it was gone. He had aged. Nearly thirteen and the boy had a look similar to Kara's when she was older. He was beginning to get a darkness to him that broke Alex's heart to see.

He had lost Kara, they all had and everything seemed wrong. It felt like a limb had been lost. Streaky still slept on her pillow and whined on the windowsill everyday as if expecting her to come home. Her father could no longer look at the stars at night and her mother hovered over Clark, more protective than ever before.

Alex was never one to take things lying down. She went to her job but spent the rest of her free time in the Fortress, working out and running simulations over and over again with Kelex until she had the answer. Now she just needed a guy who had tried his best to fall off the grid. Nobody could hide from Kelex forever though.

 **Vienna Austria**

The man had stayed off the map for the most part and Alex admitted to herself if you wanted to disappear this would not be a bad place.

After traveling to a small village forty miles away, she found him walking out of a hostel. Alex nearly didn't recognize him. He was dressed in old jeans and a hoodie, hadn't shaved in weeks and probably hadn't had a haircut in the same amount of time.

Alex watched the activities of Barry Allen since she was released from the Block. He never went back to Central City and the Flash hadn't been seen since the invasion. Instead Barry decided to drop everything and lose himself in Europe. Alex supposed he was trying to find himself or some other new age crap. It didn't matter to her. She needed him and would do whatever it took to get what she wanted, no matter the cost.

"Been a while, Barry." she greeted him from behind.

Barry stopped walking and turned around to face her. It was easy for Alex to tell that she had surprised the hell out of him.

"Bruce send you?" he asked, looking around.

"Bruce doesn't send me anywhere to do anything." the brunette told him sharply. "I came looking for you. We need to talk. I want to know why my family is hurting, why I am falling apart, why my once happy little brother hates life and why you haven't done anything to change this yet. What have you been waiting for?"

Barry looked around and motioned for Alex to follow him. The two walked down a hiking path, smaller, out of the way and much rougher. Alex would never admit her ankle still ached on some days and this terrain was doing her no good.

Barry stopped suddenly, turning towards her, looking anywhere but Alex's accusing eyes. "I can't."

Alex shook her head.

"Yes, you can. I am going to tell you where and when to go and how we are going to put this nightmare behind us."

"Alex..."

"I did not spend a whole day on a plane for you to tell me no, Barry! You are going to do this."

"Alex, I swore an oath to her that I wouldn't change time to save her life, ever. You think I don't want to take that back? You think I want this? You know how I feel...felt about her. I can hardly sleep at night. I came here to forget that life, to try to move on, the way she..."

"What did you say?" Alex interrupted him. "Try to move on? The way she told you to constantly before she died? Before she killed herself?!"

"She didn't have a choice." Barry whispered harshly. "It wasn't suicide. She didn't want to Alex. She..."

"There is always another choice. What were any of you doing while she had to save the world? None of you could have stopped her? She could have flown away and let it take one of you. Choices don't matter because none of that is going to happen. I don't give a damn about whatever oath you made to her. She has broken plenty of oaths to me. You are going back to when and where I tell you to and doing what I say and everything will be fixed, not just the Worldkillers but before. This isn't just about you and what you want. You can't sleep at night? My brother cries himself to sleep at night. Mom and Dad...I can't sleep. You are going to do this."

"No, I am not. Do you realize this could make everything worse? Your parents could die in an alternate timeline, Clark could be dead instead of Kara. The world could be over when I return."

"I've gone over a list of scenarios with Kelex and we have looked at every possible change that could occur." Alex shoved a sheet of paper in his hand. "Follow these instructions and everything will be okay."

"I can't. I made an oath to her and I won't break it."

Alex decided reasoning with Barry was not going to work. This was a man who didn't go back in time to save his own mother and father from death. The brunette had no time for games now. She knew what Barry wanted. She had watched enough to know he was obsessed with Kara. His appearance after her sister's... death... was all Alex needed to confirm she was right. The man had dropped out of the human race since the day Kara saved them all by flying into the sun.

"She loved you, even at the end." Alex told him, then added a lie. "She told me before the invasion that if we got past this she wanted the two of you to give it another shot. Remember her at the Block? She was getting help, getting strong and she had you. You had her. You were together and happy. You could have that again, Barry. This time we are going to stop her from getting that Red Ring. We are going to stop all of it from happening. Do you really think the two of you would have broken up that night if the ring hadn't made her lose her temper or if you had just worn the damn suit? I never interfered Barry but if you do this, I can. I can talk her into staying with you. She may not have listened to me about alcohol but I could talk her into everything else. You two could be happy together and I could help with that."

Alex saw she had his attention. As she suspected, he wanted Kara's love above all else in life. If Dick Grayson had Barry Allen's powers this would have been a ten second conversation with Nightwing. Kara had that way with guys she let into her life. They became lost in her, whether she wanted them to or not.

"You could make her happy." Alex continued, knowing she had him on the ropes. "Are you ready to listen? I promise I've gone over this with Kelex, Barry. We have run scenarios. If you follow the instructions the timeline will only get better."

Barry shook his head. "That isn't how time works Alex."

"Then make it work!" Alex snapped then regained her calm. She wouldn't let Barry see her out of control. "Are you ready to listen?"

Barry said nothing but did nod so Alex began.

"Go back to the Block, at night, just after she had the surgery to put the crystal in. Use your powers to phase down. Do not use your handprint, or touch anything you don't have to. Wake me up and tell me what is going on. Give me the note in your hand. You are going to tell me everything about Atrocitus, the Red Ring, and Doomsday. This time I will be ready. We will have a plan. We find Hal Jordan, we attack Luthor's underground lair and send Doomsday through a portal while he is still in chains, maybe to the...it doesn't matter where. When Atrocitus tries to free him, you, your friends, everyone will be waiting for him. I will stay home with Kara that day and drug her, keep her asleep all day and night. Doomsday won't escape and kill hundreds in Metropolis, Kara won't take a red ring, Atrocitus will be dead and everything will be fine. You can have her love back and I will have my sister back. All you have to do is follow the plan I am giving you."

"And break my word to her." Barry added, but Alex heard the resistance crumbling. He was going to do it.

"She will never know, Barry. If she knew what was coming then, she would have wanted us to change things. It will be our secret. Kara never has to know because this didn't happen. This conversation? It will be wiped from existence. You go back and warn me and I will handle the rest. You won't be even saving her life technically. We are just going to avoid a situation where her life is unnecessarily in danger."

Barry said nothing for a moment, looking around as if Kara's ghost was spying on him. Alex knew if Kara ever found out, her little sister would never forgive him. She would forgive Alex but Barry would be gone from her life. He knew it too so he would keep his mouth shut.

"Not even my parents have to know Barry. I'll come up with a lie about how I got the information. All you need to do is tell me in the past what happens. That's it. Are you in?"

Barry tried to avoid eye contact but Alex knew she had him. Just the idea that he could have Kara back would be all he needed.

"Remember the times she told you she loved you? She had never said that to any guy before. Think about your times together and all she had to give up for this world. Don't you think she deserves happiness Barry? Or do you want to leave her ashes floating all over the universe?"

"Fine!" Barry told her, giving in. Alex fought to keep the smile from her face. It wasn't hard. There were still a million little things that could go wrong.

"Good. Let's do this now. I don't want to keep living like this. Go back to the Block, tell me everything that has happened and when you come back I won't be here. I will be wherever the new timeline has me hanging out with my very alive, happy little sister. I am sure you will know how to join us. Maybe you will pop up where you are supposed to be in the new timeline. I'm not really sure how it works and I really don't care. Do this now."

Barry looked around. The streets weren't crowded but it was not night and they weren't abandoned either.

"Just go. No one is going to remember you were here because you are going to change things, remember?"

Alex watched Barry reach into his pocket and pull out his Flash ring.

"You still keep it?" she asked, surprised.

"Till the day I die."

Barry looked at the brunette intensely then lighting flashed in his eyes. Alex's hair blew back and she breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes and waiting for the pain to end.

Then Barry was before her again, wearing his former clothes and nothing had changed.

"Did you get lost? Over shoot the time, wind up in the Middle Ages or what? Try again until you get it right." she ordered.

"I got it right." Barry admitted. "I saw her sleeping...I'm sorry Alex. I want to, you know I do but...I promised her. I wish I hadn't lost her, I wish I hadn't made that promise but..."

"No!" Alex yelled, stepping inches away from Barry and catching the eye of the few street dwellers present. "You don't get to go back and see her and not change things! You think you deserve to see her and I don't? Go back there now and change things!"

To Alex's amazement, Barry wiped a tear that fell from his eye. He was crying. He thought he had a right to cry when he could change all this?

"You can't make the call." Alex realized. "I was right about you. Indecisive, weak, a follower, nothing without Diana or Bruce telling you what to do. Even Kara told you what to do. It was one of the reasons she liked you and one of the reasons she didn't think you could take care of yourself. You can be a hero now, save her life and instead you're constantly second guessing yourself. You are too scared to make the call. I can't believe I ever thought you were good enough for her. You aren't. You never were." she challenged.

Barry looked away. "You are right, Alex. I'm not, but I made a promise to her. I'm sorry."

"You don't know sorry, Barry. Not yet. What were you even doing when she died? Standing back, waiting for Diana to tell you what to do? You could have gotten her out before it took her. Diana could have knocked her out of the way, somebody could have done something but all any of you did was stand there! Waited for Supergirl to save you all again. Pathetic! Go back to hiding. The world needed Supergirl. It doesn't need you. You never got that, did you? None of you did! Justice League? What a joke. Bruce thought you could fight the battles she did? All of you are worthless. Get out of my sight."

Alex stood motionless, watching him walk away, not believing that had not worked. She had reasoned with him, tempted him, given him scenarios that posed no danger to others and finally tried to bully him to get what she wanted. The girl briefly considered firing a warning shot at Iris West, or nicking Joe West in the leg, just to send a message that she could take them whenever she wanted if he didn't do as she asked but doubted it would do any good. She would have to find another way.

Her phone alerted her to a text from her father.

 _Just come home. We need you._

She shouldn't have been surprised that Jeremiah knew what she was doing. Judging by the fact that Kara was still gone he must have assumed she failed.

 _I will be home in a few days. I have business to take care of. Clark still isn't safe._

 **Alaska**

It had almost been too easy. Kelex had sent her the location of the Cadmus bunker in Alaska, eighty six miles from Anchorage, wilderness only accessible by helicopter, surrounded by dense tree cover and beautiful mountains.

Alex was grateful the base wasn't built into the interior of a mountain. It would be time consuming to raid an underground base. Instead the base was easily spotted from the ground. By air it was camouflaged, only the supply helicopters would know where to land.

So how to sneak up on a base inaccessible from anywhere but the air?

The simple answer was Alex didn't. She took a 9 millimeter handgun with a 20 round clip, two additional clips, a black K Bar knife Connolly had given to her for her twenty second birthday, and a black tactical vest filled with surprises over her black body suit. There were many suits at the Fortress she could have worn, ones that Kelex insisted on, but Alex wanted to keep this simple. No masks, no head gear, just her, her weapons and her skill.

She had gotten back into shape quickly. It was her only hobby and kept her mind focused. Her injuries had healed and now it was time to continue Kara's mission and keep Clark safe. The biggest threat to his future now was the organization Lillian Luthor was trying to build, helped by General Lane and his black market military connections.

The President had every chance to bring Lane in on a multitude of charges but she didn't. Now it was Alex's turn.

They were fools to think they could hide from Kelex. Perhaps with Lois Lane reporting to the world that Supergirl had died defeating the King of the invading alien race, the two thought it would be safe for them to operate without total silence.

Entering the airfield was no challenge. Alex waited until a supply chopper was loaded, walked out of the shadows and killed the six Cadmus employees with six shots. She pulled the body of the pilot out of his seat and took his spot, flying towards the base.

The brunette landed on the helipad and by the time the guards, if they could call themselves that, realized the usual pilot was not there, Alex was already exiting the helicopter, killing everyone in sight. Because of the silencer and the sound of the helicopter shutting down, the others had no idea they were under attack until it was too late.

Ten minutes of strolling the hallways was enough time for the woman in black to clear out the entire shift, leaving only two remaining Cadmus members alive, the two she had come for.

Alex waited for the explosives to blow the steel door to the main laboratory and walked inside, gun drawn, happy to see fear on Samuel Lane and Lillian Luthor's faces.

"Guess what? You are under attack." she informed them. "That was one hell of a crew you had out there. They picked the wrong side. Now it's just the three of us for miles and miles. What are you doing, General Lane? Aren't you aware that Lillian Luthor is a wanted fugitive and this is not a government sanctioned military facility?"

Lane looked hard at Alex and she saw recognition dawn on him.

"I have seen you before. You were one of Connolly's goons, his groupie, right? I heard you filled a special position for his so called team."

Alex fired her gun into the man's foot, dropping him to the ground.

"You would think after so many years in the military you would learn not to be rude to the woman holding the gun." she told him after he had stopped yelling and managed to work his way into a sitting position on the floor.

Alex motioned to Lillian. "You might want to have a seat next to your boyfriend. I am going to tell you a story. Then I am going to murder you both. I have never murdered anyone. Everyone I have ever killed has been in battle. You two though... you two I just plan to murder. You planned for years to kill my sister and you think now that she is gone, aliens are fair game? That's not going to happen. You see there is another Kryptonian on Earth. He is my little brother and as long as you are alive, he isn't safe."

Alex enjoyed Luthor's reaction. It was beginning to sink into her that she was about to die and couldn't talk or buy her way out of this. Her eyes were looking for any escape, breath coming in short gasps. She was afraid, just like Alex wanted her.

"Now, lets talk about your old friend Hank Henshaw, General Lane. You will see him soon. I watched him die. The one they call the Martian Manhunter? He took Henshaw's place after Connolly killed him. That's when he kicked you out of the DEO. I believe you knew him as Admiral Greer before that, right?"

Alex supposed that was sinking in judging by the paling of his face. It could be the blood loss from the hole in his foot though as well.

"Ironic, isn't it? The two of you so paranoid about aliens and its a human who kills you. By the way Sammy, I'll be sending Lucy to you soon."

Alex fired the trigger twice, ending Lillian Luthor's life quickly.

She unloaded the rest of the clip into Samuel Lane.

Walking out of the base, she flew the chopper back to the airfield and called Kelex.

"Let Connolly know where he can pick up the bodies if he wants them. I have one more stop to make before I go home."

 **National City**

Alex sat in the back of the restaurant, trying to focus on the present instead of getting lost in the past. This place was a favorite for Alex to meet her little sister for lunch, and sometimes they would share a latte in the morning.

Kara was not here.

But Samuel Lane's lap dog was.

Alex had a clear view of Lucy's back from where she sat but it was Jimmy Olsen's face that was watching her. Jimmy Olsen knew her. He knew what she was capable of and judging by the look on his face, he knew she wasn't here for a late lunch.

She watched Olsen do his best to smile at his girlfriend. The man shamelessly flirted with Kara for years while dating Sam Lane's daughter. Alex briefly wondered if he thought she was here for him as well.

The girl knew someone was approaching her from behind but didn't sense a threat then let out a sigh, knowing from the smell of that cologne who was behind her. He pulled up a chair without being invited.

"Not a good idea being seen with me Bruce. That's the world famous photojournalist James Olsen. He knows who I am and if he sees you with me even he could figure out who you really are."

Alex took her eyes off her target and smiled at Batman. He looked good as always in his Bruce Wayne disguise. It was the eyes that gave his true state away.

"You planning on killing her?" he asked.

Alex shrugged her shoulders. "You planning on trying to stop me? We haven't done this before. Should be fun."

Bruce actually smiled and motioned to the waitress, asking her for a coffee.

"Alex, the sad thing is, I can't tell you Kara wouldn't want this, because she probably would. I didn't come to stop you. Jeremiah said you weren't answering your phone and since I was in the area he asked that I look you up and remind you Clark has a baseball game tomorrow evening. He lost one sister Alex, he deserves to have his other sister there, don't you think?"

Alex said nothing. She hadn't come to chat and really had nothing to say. Of course she would be there tomorrow. How long did Bruce think it took to shoot someone?

"She was by her father's side for years." Bruce said. "No doubt she knew some of what he was involved in. I'm guessing since you are here, General Lane and Lillian Luthor are residing in hell. Do you really think she is a threat? She left his side, started working at Catco, has been trying to build a relationship with her sister. I won't stop you and I won't tell you that Kara wouldn't want you to kill her. You know in your heart if she is a threat or not. If she isn't, I am going back to Gotham tonight on one of the private jets but I can have my pilot make a stop in Raleigh. If she is I understand and would expect you to protect Clark. Your call."

The waitress returned with his coffee and Bruce walked away...leaving Alex with the bill as usual. It was a habit he picked up over the years and she suspected it was reprisals for the number of times Kara stole his cars.

She watched Lucy Lane talk animatedly to her boyfriend while he tried not to stare at Alex.

"Fine." Alex muttered to herself. She smiled and winked at Jimmy Olsen, pointed at Lucy, then ran her finger across her throat, not helping calm his fear at all, and left Noonan's.

Outside she sent a text to her father.

 _I'll be home tonight. It's over_.

Alex knew better. It was not close to over for her. She had to live. She would have to go home to an empty house with a depressed cat. Clark was all she had left now and Alex would do everything she could to make sure that boy never wore the symbol of the House of El. She had lost Kara. She wouldn't lose him, not to this world.


	50. Chapter 50

Just a quick note, the first chapter of the final part of the Survivors trilogy is now posted. It is titled Reborn. I'll leave this message up for a few days. Hope to see you there and thank you for all the support you have given Survivors and Seeing Red!


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